Dodgers option Miguel Vargas to OKC
They send down the struggling rookie
Although the Dodgers didn’t play on Sunday, there was still some pretty notable news. The Dodgers optioned Miguel Vargas to Oklahoma City. They also optioned Bryan Hudson, as Yency Almonte was activated off the paternity list.
The Vargas move shouldn’t come as a total surprise, as manager Dave Roberts suggested it was a possibility over the weekend. Still, seeing LA’s starting second baseman optioned midway through the season caught people off-guard.
2023 has been disappointing for Vargas. After being named the Triple-A player of the year last year, expectations were high for the rookie. With the exception of Austin Barnes and Miguel Rojas, two players the Dodgers weren’t expecting much offensive production from, Vargas has been the worst hitter on the club this season.
Among 11 players on the team with at least 150 plate appearances, Vargas ranks 10th in fWAR (0.1), 10th in wRC+ (85), 11th in average (.195) and 10th in slugging percentage (.367).
The advanced numbers aren’t kind to Vargas, either. He’s not hitting the ball hard at all and his expected numbers are poor.
It’s still his rookie season. He has a lot left in his career. At the moment, Vargas is costing the Dodgers and they can’t afford to have his bat in the lineup.
Over the last month, Vargas has been one of the worst hitters in all of baseball. Since June 9, he’s hitting .079 with a .395 OPS. His wRC+ during that stretch is 14. Yeah, those numbers aren’t great!
He looks lost at the plate and isn’t providing the Dodgers anything other than the occasional walk. Hopefully a stint in Oklahoma City and help turn his season around, because the Dodgers are going to need him for their playoff push.
So, what happens next? Well, Chris Taylor is expected to be activated off the IL this weekend, so he can take Vargas’ spot on the roster. The Dodgers can also call up Michael Busch, should they choose. They can send down either Yonny Hernandez or Jonny DeLuca. Taylor can get more reps at shortstop while giving Busch a runway at second base.
Busch has nothing left to prove in the minors. He’s having another fantastic season in Triple-A, as he’s hitting .310 with an OPS just above 1.000. His wRC+ there is 140. Busch was given a very small sample size at the big league level and was really looking good over his final few games, posting an OPS above .800 over his final week. Who knows, maybe he excels and runs away with the job?
I’ve written this before, but Vargas hasn’t done anything to earn the job over Busch. In my opinion, it should be an open competition. As I mentioned, Vargas has a long career ahead of him, but he’s done nothing during his brief career to show he’s worthy of being an every day starter. I mean, he has nearly 400 plate appearances under his belt and is hitting .191 with a .640 OPS and 73 OPS+. Those numbers are horrible, especially for a guy seeing five starts a week.
Give him some more time in OKC. Give Busch a chance that consists of more than 15 plate appearances over two weeks. See what happens.
Hopefully Busch gets an opportunity and makes the most of it. Hopefully Vargas can maximize his time in the minors and come back a better hitter.
I love Vargas - a huge upside, but he's got to find the magic he has in AAA last year. It's in there. Hopefully he's teachable and can get out of his head enough to become the star his talent shows.