Vargas started at second base, batted leadoff and went 0-for-4 with a run scored in Monday's 11-1 loss to Boston.
Vargas got the call at second base after the Diamondbacks placed Ketel Marte (personal) on the restricted list. It's unclear how much time Marte will need, but Vargas should step in while the situation plays out. Geraldo Perdomo, who recently took over at leadoff, took Marte's cleanup spot while Vargas ascended to the top of the order.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Fills at hot corner
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Vargas entered Sunday's game for the injured Nolan Arenado (torso) and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in a 5-3 loss to Atlanta.
Vargas tied the game at 2-2 with his solo shot in the seventh inning. It was the second consecutive game with homer for Vargas, who had filled in for Ketel Marte on Saturday. Arenado is expected to undergo imaging while the Diamondbacks are in Boston before the team decides on next steps, per Rick Farlow of MLB.com. Pending the results, Vargas could see increased opportunities at third base going forward.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Fills in for injured teammate
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Vargas started at second base Saturday in place of the injured Ketel Marte (knee) and went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in a 10-3 win over Atlanta.
Vargas finsihed off the scoring with a three-run shot in the top of the ninth inning. He replaced Marte in Friday's game, when the latter was removed in the second inning, and filled in for him again a day later. Marte was considered a game-time decision Saturday, so this may not lead to a sizeable opportunity for Vargas. The homer was his eighth of the season, a career high, but his first since May 12.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Moves to second base
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Vargas moved from first to second base after Ketel Marte (knee) was removed from Friday's game in the second inning. The former went 1-for-4 in a 2-0 win over Atlanta.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Marte began to feel soreness in his left knee during last week's series against the Padres, per Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Vargas is expected to fill in for Marte, who is listed as day-to-day. Vargas is batting .200 (6-for-30) with two doubles, one triple, one steal, six RBI and one run scored over 11 games this month.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Takes over at shortstop
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Vargas started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Rockies.
Vargas filled in for the injured Geraldo Perdomo (knee). Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said prior to the game that Perdomo could be available off the bench -- he didn't play in the loss -- and implied the injury is not serious, per Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. Vargas, who has career highs in games played (105) and plate appearances (364) this season, has slipped back into a utility role off the bench and recently lost playing time at first base to Tim Tawa.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Vargas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
Vargas will hit the bench for the series finale after he had gone 9-for-21 with two walks, five runs and two RBI over the Diamondbacks' past six games. He'll cede his spot in the starting nine to Tyler Locklear, who will cover first base and bat eighth.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Knocks game-winning hit
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Vargas started at second base and went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-inning victory over the Athletics.
Vargas supplied the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning, when his bases-loaded singled completed the walk-off win. In addition to sharing first base with Tim Tawa and Tyler Locklear, Vargas has also stepped in at second base -- Tuesday's start at the keystone was his third in the last six contests. That deployment reduces the stress on Ketel Marte -- no stranger to overuse injuries -- who operated as the designated hitter in those three games. Vargas, who has cooled off signficantly from his hot April, is batting .268 (11-for-41) with two doubles, one triple, four RBI, one steal and three runs scored over 13 games in July.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Moves to first base
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 5-4 loss to St. Louis.
Vargas stepped in at first base, which has become a revolving door for Arizona; the team ranks last in the league at the position with a .594 OPS. With Pavin Smith designated for assignment, Vargas and Tim Tawa are filling the void. Those two will compete with Tyler Locklear, who was called up Friday and raked at Triple-A Reno (.895 OPS). The switch-hitting Vargas could have an edge against right-handers, but he's batted just .149 (18-for-121) over the last 44 games.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Back on bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Vargas is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.
Vargas will hit the bench after he started in each of the last four games -- once at second base, three times at first base -- and went 4-for-15 with a double, a walk and two RBI. Though his production has tailed off after a scorching start to the season, Vargas could nonetheless be encroaching on Pavin Smith's role as Arizona's primary first baseman. The left-handed Smith will be included in the lineup Tuesday, but he sat in favor of Vargas in two of the Diamondbacks' previous three matchups versus righties.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Makes second straight start
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.
Vargas' eighth-inning double plated what eventually turned out to be the winning run. He made a second straight start at first base and is 4-for-8 with two RBI in those two games. Saturday's start was against a right-hander, which is usually Pavin Smith's job. Even though the early-season shine has come off Vargas' bat -- he had a .102 batting average and .336 OPS over 34 games from May 20 through the end of June -- he could gain more opportunities, as Smith (.152/.260/.212) is having his own struggles at the plate.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Returns to starting lineup
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Vargas started at first base and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 8-0 loss to the Marlins.
Vargas started for the first time since last Thursday, when he was removed from a game due to a thigh injury. He'd exclusively come off the bench since then, but Vargas has been replaced as the primary starter at first base by prospect LuJames Groover. Vargas is 1-for-18 over eight June games.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Out of lineup again
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Vargas is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Nationals on Sunday.
It's the third game in a row in which Vargas will be on the bench for the start of the game. With Pavin Smith serving as the team's DH, Vargas has been losing playing time to rookie LuJames Groover, who is starting at first base and batting eighth in Sunday's series finale.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Vargas (thigh) is not in the Diamondbacks' starting lineup against the Nationals on Saturday.
Vargas is dealing with a left thigh contusion that forced him to leave Thursday's game against the Dodgers. He entered Friday's game against Washington after being absent from the starting lineup, so Vargas could be available off the bench for the Diamondbacks for Saturday's contest. LuJames Groover will start at first base and bat eighth.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Enters game late
Rotowire
Vargas (thigh) entered Friday's game in the eighth inning to play second base. He did not get a plate appearance in a 14-1 loss to the Nationals.
Vargas was injured in a scary collision with Los Angeles' Max Muncy on Thursday but appears to have avoided a serious injury. That he was able to play the field for a couple of innings is an encouraging sign that Vargas can resume his role sharing first base and DH with occasional work at other infield spots.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Sitting down Friday
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Vargas (thigh) isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
Vargas left Thursday's game with a thigh injury after a collision, and the D-backs will keep him out of action Friday to allow him to recover. His absence will allow LuJames Groover to make his MLB debut starting at first base and batting fifth.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Productive outs in win
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Vargas went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-5 win over San Francisco.
Vargas had a couple of productive outs that knocked in runs. He's been in a significant slump the last two weeks -- Tuesday's eighth-inning double snapped an 0-for-22 run -- but Vargas continues to lead the team with 34 RBI. The 34-year-old infielder is slashing .303/.332/.486 over 194 plate appearances.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Four hits in win
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Vargas went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-1 win over the Rockies.
Vargas got the rout started with a run-scoring single in the first inning and logged hits in his first four plate appearances. It was his third consecutive game with two RBI, giving him 30 over his first 36 games. That's one shy of the career-high 31 he had across 86 games for the Nationals in 2023. It's been an unprecedented year for the utility infielder, who entered 2026 batting .249 and averaging 16 RBI across nine MLB seasons. Just when it looked like he was regressing, he's responded by going 7-for-14 with six RBI over the last three contests.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Plates two runs in loss
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Vargas went 1-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Texas.
Vargas' two-run single in the ninth inning gave the Diamondbacks a 5-3 lead, but closer Paul Sewald couldn't convert the save. It was the second consecutive two-RBI game for Vargas, who has knocked in seven runs over the last nine games despite batting just .189 (7-for-37) during that stretch. When given RISP opportunities, Vargas has delivered a .343 average and .743 slugging percentage. He leads Arizona with 28 RBI.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Homers in loss
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Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Rangers.
Vargas had two of the four hits Arizona could muster, including a second-inning solo homer. He later singled in a run during the team's three-run ninth inning. It was the career-high seventh home run for Vargas, who achieved that feat in just 34 games.
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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.
