Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Sitting again Saturday
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Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Saturday against Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas will remain on the bench for the second straight game Saturday after going hitless in his last two contests. Carter Kieboom will once again start at third base and bat seventh.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Out of Friday's lineup
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Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Friday against Atlanta.
After putting together a four-game hitting streak last week, Vargas has since gone 0-for-6 with three strikeouts over his last two games. He'll hit the bench Friday with Carter Kieboom starting at third base and batting sixth.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Avoids arbitration with Nationals
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Vargas and the Nationals avoided arbitration Wednesday by agreeing to a one-year contract for 2024.
Vargas is making $975,000 this season and should get a little salary bump for 2024. The 32-year-old utility player has a career-high 280 plate appearances with the Nats in 2023, producing a .245/.299/.354 batting line with four home runs. Vargas does not have options left, so he figures to head into next season in a reserve role for the Nationals.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Not starting Game 1
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Vargas is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader versus Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas has an .821 OPS through 14 games in September and will take a seat for Sunday's matinee. Carter Kieboom is starting at the hot corner and batting seventh.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Resting Thursday
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Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Thursday against Atlanta, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Although the switch-hitting Vargas holds a .773 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, he'll get a day off against Max Fried on Thursday. Carter Kieboom will start at third base instead while batting fifth.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: On bench Monday
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Vargas is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The Nationals have been running a three-headed timeshare at third base of late, with Vargas, Carter Kieboom and Jake Alu having now made two starts apiece at the position over the past six games. Alu seems to have the most stable playing-time outlook of the three, as he'll now make his third straight start in left field in place of the slumping Travis Blankenhorn. The lack of consistent at-bats for either Vargas or Kieboom makes both players tough to rely upon, even in NL-only leagues.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Sitting third straight
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Saturday against the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas has now missed three consecutive starts for the Nationals after starting nearly every game in August. Jake Alu will start again at second base and Travis Blankenhorn will man left field.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Sits again Friday
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Friday against the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas will take a seat for the second straight game Friday after being an everyday part of the Nats' lineup for most of August. Jake Alu will fill in at second base, allowing Travis Blankenhorn to start in left field.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Takes seat Thursday
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the Nationals' lineup Thursday against Miami, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Although Vargas is slashing .268/.294/.476 against left-handed pitchers this season, he'll retreat to the bench against Braxton Garrett and the Marlins on Thursday. Michael Chavis will fill in at the keystone and bat seventh.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Belts fourth homer
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Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs in Friday's win over the Athletics.
The veteran utility man tied his career high in RBI with the performance, which was highlighted by a three-run homer off Sam Long in the seventh inning -- Vargas' fourth homer of the year. The 32-year-old switch hitter has emerged as the Nationals' starting third baseman in the wake of the Jeimer Candelario trade, and he's been surprisingly productive in the role. Vargas is batting just .250 (8-for-32) so far in August, but he has nine RBI and a .531 SLG thanks to three doubles and two homers.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Gets third straight start
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Vargas will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Reds, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
He'll be manning the hot corner for the third consecutive game and looks like he'll settle in as the Nationals' top option at the position in the wake of Jeimer Candelario being traded to the Cubs. Jake Alu appeared set to get the first chance to replace Candelario, but he's now picked up two straight starts at second base and should serve as the Nationals' primary option at the keystone after the struggling Luis Garcia was demoted to Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Sits after three straight starts
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Vargas is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Vargas started in all of the Nationals' last three games and produced exactly one base hit in each of those contests to bring his hitting streak up to six games. The Nationals faced left-handed starting pitchers in each of those last three contests, but Vargas will find himself on the bench Sunday versus Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning. Vargas looks as though he'll be limited to a short-side platoon role for the foreseeable future.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Swats second homer
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Vargas went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run in Sunday's loss to the Phillies.
He took Connor Brodgon deep in the ninth inning for a somewhat meaningless blow in an 11-3 rout. Vargas continues to be used sparingly and has only 52 plate appearances on the season, but the veteran utility player has produced a .320/.333/.540 slash line with two homers, nine runs and 10 RBI when he's gotten into the lineup.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Pops second homer
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Vargas went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Sunday's win over the Tigers.
Getting a rare start at shortstop and batting seventh, Vargas took Joey Wentz deep in the third inning for his second homer of the year. The 31-year-old utility player has been productive when called upon -- he's made seven appearances in May and produced four multi-hit performances, batting .458 (11-for-24) on the month with seven RBI.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Returns from IL
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The Nationals activated Vargas (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas went on the injured list April 11 after going 1-for-12 to begin the season. A depth infielder, the 31-year-old will likely see only sporadic playing time.
Vargas (shoulder) joined Triple-A Rochester on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas has been on the injured list for over two weeks due to a strained left shoulder. It's unclear how many games Vargas will play in the minors, but the goal is to get him plenty of at-bats and starts at shortstop. Once he's feeling better, he'll likely return to his role as a utility piece for Washington.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Placed on injured list
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Vargas (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to April 10, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Vargas was reportedly dealing with shoulder stiffness Monday and now will officially be out for at least 10 days with a strained left shoulder. With Luis Garcia still day-to-day with a hamstring injury, Michael Chavis or the newly recalled Jeter Downs will fill in at second base for the time being.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Dealing with stiff shoulder
Rotowire
Vargas is currently dealing with a stiff shoulder and is scheduled to be checked out by trainers Monday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The Nationals are also without Luis Garcia (hamstring), so while Vargas would seem like a natural replacement for the infielder, he's sitting with the shoulder problems while Michael Chavis handles second base. Vargas should be considered day-to-day until the Nationals determine the next step for the 31-year-old veteran.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Avoids arbitration
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Vargas signed a one-year contract with the Nationals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration
Vargas provided solid production at the plate for Washington, slashing .302/.338/.439 upon joining the team in August. The 31-year-old infielder could slide back in as a starter in 2023, though he will likely ultimately settle into his customary utility role.
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Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Not starting nightcap
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Vargas is out of the lineup for Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Vargas went 0-for-4 during the matinee and will step out of the starting nine for Game 2. Cesar Hernandez will move to the hot corner while Josh Palacios starts in left field.
