Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Resting up Saturday
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Dodgers.
Vargas will sit down for the beginning of Saturday's game after going 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in the series opener. His absence will open up first base for Tim Tawa.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Logs second steal
Rotowire
Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 10-4 loss to the Padres.
Vargas was included in the lineup for the fifth time in six games. He's made three starts at first base as well as one each at second and shortstop during that span as he looks to be settling into more of a utility role. Vargas has gone 5-for-18 over five games in July, and while that's not all that impressive, he's still showing more consistency at the plate than his main competition for playing time, Pavin Smith. Vargas is batting .257 with a .699 OPS, seven home runs, 46 RBI, 39 runs scored, 12 doubles, two triples and two steals through 79 games this season.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Returns to starting lineup
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Out of lineup again
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Not in Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Sitting down Friday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Productive outs in win
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Four hits in win
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Plates two runs in loss
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Homers in loss
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Scuffling since streak
Rotowire
Vargas went 0-for-4 in Monday's 1-0 win over Texas.
Vargas, who opened the season with a 24-game hitting streak, was held hitless for a second consecutive game and is just 5-for-36 (.139) in the nine games since the hit streak ended. A regression was to be expected, but that won't cost him the starting job at first base. The Diamondbacks announced Monday that Carlos Santana aggravated his adductor injury Sunday and will not be returning this week to challenge Vargas for playing time.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
