Dodgers Suffer First Spring Training Casualty

On Monday morning, Dodgers beat writer Juan Toribio reported (via Twitter) that 23-year-old Dodgers utility infielder/outfielder/designated hitter Miguel Vargas officially became the team’s first Spring Training 2023 casualty … sort of.

However, Toribio immediately followed-up with this tweet:

The 6′-3″ / 205-pound La Habana, Cuba native, who was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in September of 2017, spent his first professional season in 2018 with the Arizona League Dodgers, Ogden Raptors and Great Lakes Loons. He played with the Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2019, but did not play a minor league game in 2020, as the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vargas began the 2021 season back at Great Lakes before being promoted to the Tulsa Drillers. Between those two teams, he appeared in 120 games, batting .319 with 23 homers and 76 RBI. The Dodgers honored him by awarding him the organizations Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year Award. He was also selected as a post-season Double-A Central All-Star and was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers to begin the 2022 season and represented the Dodgers at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game. He appeared in 113 games at OKC, batting .304 with 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

The Dodgers promoted Vargas to the Major Leagues for the first time on August 2, 2022, and he made his MLB debut the following day against the San Francisco Giants as the teams designated hitter. In his first at-bat he hit a ground-rule double off Giants starter Alex Cobb. On September 24, 2022, Vargas hit his first MLB home run off Jordan Montgomery of the St. Louis Cardinals. In his 18 games with the Dodgers in 2022, Vargas hit .170 with eight RBI while playing first base, left field, and as the Dodgers DH.

According to Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts, Vargas won’t be swinging the bat for a few days but will continue to play defense while his right pinky heals from a hairline fracture.
(Mark J. Rebilas)

Play Ball!

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4 Responses to “Dodgers Suffer First Spring Training Casualty”

  1. Dan in Pasadena says:

    Why is it NONE of the blogs mention HOW Vargas’s finger was broken? Hit by a pitch? Fielding a ball? Slipped in the shower?

    • Ron Cervenka says:

      Vargas was taking grounders at second base when a bad hop and caught him on his right hand. This from Juan Toribio:

      ‘After going through imaging, Vargas said he was surprised to find out he had a small fracture.’

      “Yeah, it was weird for me,” Vargas said. “But I’m starting to feel better every day, and I want to keep doing that.”

  2. Doc L says:

    I was hit by a pitch in High Scool Ball. It caught just the tip of my forefinger on my top hand. I had ex-rays which showed a tiny hairline fracture onbthe tip of my finger. I was in a splint for a week. As soon as the swelling went away, I put a padded batting glove on and was out for less than 10 days. This was taken care of at a Kaiser Hospital.

    Vargas has the best medical staff the Dodgers can put forward. This is a short term injury that likely have Vargas back in a week. The worst he will have is stiffness from the swelling and very little pain.

    If his injury is anything like mine was, he will be back in 7-10 days, good as new

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