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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Scores twice in win
Rotowire
Vargas went 0-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Mets.
Vargas was involved in the offense for a second straight game after driving in both runs in Saturday's 2-0 win. The utility infielder is expected to stick at first base even with the pending activation of Carlos Santana (hamstring). Vargas is slashing .341/.366/.571 with six home runs, a team-high 24 RBI and 21 runs scored over 32 games.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Sticking at first base
Rotowire
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday there are no plans to take playing time away from Vargas when Carlos Santana (thigh) is ready to be activated, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
Gilbert reports that Santana could rejoin the Diamondbacks as early as Friday, but there may not be a path to regular at-bats for the 39-year-old, who batted .083 over eight games at the time of his injury. Vargas has filled in at first base and has been an offensive juggernaut for Arizona, compiling a .364/.386/.627 slash line while topping the team with six home runs and 22 RBI.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Hitting streak comes to end
Rotowire
Vargas went 0-for-4 in Saturday's loss to the Cubs.
Arizona's offense was limited to four hits and zero runs by Chicago, so Vargas certainly wasn't the only Diamondback to have a quiet day at the plate. The veteran infielder entered the game with three straight multi-hit performances and a 24-game hitting streak to open the campaign, and he's still slashing a robust .388/.412/.673 overall, so Saturday's hitless effort shouldn't dim what has been an out-of-nowhere torrid start.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Extends streak with four-hit game
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Vargas went 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Cubs.
While Arizona wasn't able to take advantage of having Vargas on base every time through the order, it was still another impressive effort from the 34-year-old switch hitter. Vargas has hit safely in 24 straight games to begin the campaign, tied for the second-longest streak within a single season in Diamondbacks history with Tony Womack in 2000, and his overall streak stands at 27 games dating back to the end of last year -- putting him within striking distance of matching or exceeding Luis Gonzalez's club-record streak of 30 games, set in 1999. Vargas is slashing a stunning .404/.429/.702 so far in 2026 with 14 extra-base hits, including six homers to already tie his career high, along with 19 runs and 21 RBI.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Keeps rolling
Rotowire
Vargas went 2-for-5 with a run scored in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Brewers.
Vargas wasted little time extending his season-opening hit streak to 22 games when he singled in his first plate appearance. Going back to 2025, the utility infielder has hit safely in 25 consecutive games. Vargas, who has become the team's primary first baseman, doesn't have any real competition for playing time at the moment with both Carlos Santana (thigh) and Pavin Smith (elbow) on the injured list.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Huge offensive performance in win
Rotowire
Vargas went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a three-RBI triple, a double and two additional runs scored in Sunday's victory over San Diego.
Vargas was a catalyst in Arizona's come-from-behind win, launching a solo homer in the sixth inning before adding a three-run triple in the eighth inning to extend the lead. While he fell a single shy of the cycle Sunday, the veteran journeyman has rarely come up short throughout the 2026 campaign. Vargas has never produced an OPS+ above 100 in a season since debuting in 2017, yet he's slashing an eye-popping .367/.383/.722 with six homers, 20 RBI and 18 runs through 20 contests.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Moves to short Saturday
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Padres.
Vargas extended his season-opening hit streak to 19 games (.351/.368/.649) with a second-inning single. He later moved to shortstop when Geraldo Perdomo (ankle) was removed in the seventh inning. Either Vargas or Jose Fernandez could fill in for Perdomo, if the injury prevents him from playing Sunday.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Lifts pair of homers
Rotowire
Vargas went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Wednesday's 11-7 win over the White Sox.
Vargas made an early impact with a three-run blast in the second inning followed by a two-run homer in the third. He's launched three homers over the last two games and has extended his season-opening hit streak to 17 contests. Vargas is batting a remarkable .364 with a 1.079 OPS, five homers, 16 RBI, 14 runs scored, five doubles, one triple and no stolen bases. He has taken over as Arizona's primary first baseman while Carlos Santana (thigh) is on the injured list, though Vargas' hot start should secure him an everyday place in the lineup for the near future, regardless of position.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Lashes homer in loss
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Tuesday's 11-5 loss to the White Sox.
Vargas connected on a sinker that didn't sink for a three-run home run in the ninth inning. It was his third homer of the season and extended a season-opening hit streak to 16 games. Batting .361 with a 1.004 OPS, Vargas is punching well above his weight; the utility infielder owns a career average of .254 and OPS of .664.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Still filling in at keystone
Rotowire
Vargas started at second base and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Vargas made a third consecutive start at second base, as Ketel Marte served as the designated hitter again while nursing a minor back issue. Vargas has hit safely in all 14 games he's played to start the season, going 20-for-53 (.377) with eight extra-base hits (two home runs), eight RBI and 11 runs. Once Marte is ready to handle defensive duties, Vargas can still find opportunities at first base with both Pavin Smith (elbow) and Carlos Santana (thigh) on the shelf.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Moves to 2B
Rotowire
Vargas started at second base, batted leadoff and went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Orioles.
Vargas was pressed into duty at second base and the leadoff spot when Ketel Marte (back) was scratched. The utility infielder didn't miss a beat, cracking a three-run home run as part of Arizona's four-run fifth inning. Vargas has hit in all 11 games played thus far, slashing .381/.409/.667 with seven extra-base hits (two home runs) and eight RBI. Marte's injury is not considered serious, and Vargas could move back to first base, where's been a regular fill-in for Pavin Smith (elbow, 60-day IL) and Carlos Santana (thigh).
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Remains at 1B
Rotowire
Vargas went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 4-1 win over Philadelphia.
Vargas extended a season-opening hit streak to eight games with a run-scoring single in the middle of Arizona's five-run fifth inning. He started at first base again, his third start there in the last four games since Carlos Santana (groin) joined Pavin Smith (elbow) on the 10-day injured list. Vargas has been a serviceable utility player throughout his career, but the 34-year-old's production early in 2026 (.429 AVG, 1.146 OPS) is off the charts.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Philadelphia.
Vargas has logged a hit in each of the first eight games he's played in to begin the year, but he'll move to the bench Saturday after making four consecutive starts. Jose Fernandez will replace him at first base and bat fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Makes third straight start
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Thursday's 7-1 win over the Mets.
Vargas started for the third consecutive game, two at first base sandwiched around one at second. There's a path to playing time for the veteran switch hitter with both Pavin Smith (elbow) and Carlos Santana (groin) on the 10-day injured list, and Vargas has hit safely in all seven games he's played to begin the season, going 11-for-24 (.458) with four extra-base hits and four RBI.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Fills in at 1B
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-5 in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Mets.
Vargas got the first crack at first base after the Diamondbacks placed Carlos Santana (adductor) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. Arizona called up Luken Baker to replace Santana, adding another body to a rotation of players that could see time with both Santana and Pavin Smith (elbow) sidelined. in addition to Vargas and Baker, the Diamondbacks could deploy Jose Fernandez and Tim Tawa at first base.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Enters for injured teammate
Rotowire
Vargas entered Sunday's game after first baseman Carlos Santana was removed due to a groin injury. Vargas went 1-for-2 with a walk, a triple and two RBI in a 6-5 extra-inning win over Atlanta.
Santana was done for the day in the second inning, and the two players that might normally have filled in at first base -- Jose Fernandez or Tim Tawa -- were already in the starting lineup. As such, manager Torey Lovullo turned to Vargas, who gave Arizona a lift. He tripled in two runs in his first plate appearance in the fourth inning and has hit safely in all four games in which he's played, going 6-for-11 with three extra-base hits and four RBI. Now that both Pavin Smith (elbow) and Santana are on the shelf, manager Torey Lovullo will roll with a rotation at first base that includes Vargas, Fernandez and Tawa.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Serves as DH
Rotowire
Vargas went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Monday's 9-6 win over Detroit.
Vargas started at designated hitter Monday after the Diamondbacks placed Pavin Smith (elbow) on the 10-day injured list. The switch-hitting Vargas got the assignment against a right-hander, although manager Torey Lovullo typically likes to rotate bodies through the DH spot. Vargas is more experienced at second and third base, but he has played 14 games at first base during his career and could be part of the rotation there along with Carlos Santana and Tim Tawa.
The Diamondbacks selected Vargas' contract from Triple-A Reno on Wednesday.
Vargas was able to win a spot on Diamondbacks' Opening Day roster as a utility man, beating out Jacob Amaya for one of the final spots on the Arizona bench. After slashing .270/.292/.383 with three home runs and 19 RBI over 121 plate appearances with Arizona in 2025, Vargas will likely be in store for limited playing time this season so long as Ketel Marte (lower leg), Geraldo Perdomo and Nolan Arenado are all healthy.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Expected to make roster
Rotowire
Vargas is expected to be on Arizona's Opening Day roster, after the team reassigned Jacob Amaya to minor-league camp Sunday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
The Amaya transaction seemingly resolves the roster fates of Vargas, Jorge Barrosa and Tim Tawa. Vargas received the news well Sunday, going 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a Cactus League contest against the Padres. He's batting .378 (17-for-45) with four doubles, two homers and nine RBI over 15 spring games. He's expected to serve as a backup utility infielder along with Tawa, who will also find time in the outfield.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Back with D-backs on minors deal
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Vargas signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Vargas spent most of his time at Triple-A Reno this past season but still managed to appear in 38 games for the D-backs, during which he slashed .270/.292/.383 with 19 RBI and 12 runs scored. He'll officially return to the organization to begin the 2026 campaign, although he's expected to remain an organizational depth piece.
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