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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.
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).
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
Rotowire
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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Ildemaro Vargas: Heads to free agency
Rotowire
Vargas elected free agency Thursday.
Vargas recorded 121 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2025 but lost his roster spot as the team had to move several players onto the 40-man roster. His defensive utility should help him land another contract for 2026, though he's hardly guaranteed to net a big-league deal.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Vargas is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt against the Dodgers.
Vargas had started each of the previous four contests at first base, but he'll begin Thursday's festivities on the bench. Tim Tawa is handling first base and batting eighth for the Diamondbacks in the series finale.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Supplies winning hit
Rotowire
Vargas started at first base and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Phillies.
Vargas delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning to plate the eventual game-winning run. Since Pavin Smith (quadriceps) and Tyler Locklear (elbow) landed on the injured list, Vargas has helped fill the void at first base, making five starts there in Arizona's last 11 games. He's hit safely in 10 of his last 11 appearances (nine starts), going 12-for-35 (.343) with one home run and eight RBI during that stretch.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Steps in for injured teammate
Rotowire
Vargas replaced Blaze Alexander (elbow) at second base in the fourth inning Sunday and went 1-for-3 in a 6-4 win over Minnesota.
Alexander was removed from the game after getting hit by a pitch in the elbow/forearm area. Testing came back negative, but the elbow showed significant swelling, per Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Vargas could benefit from any time Alexander misses, but second base is typically Ketel Marte's realm.
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Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Vargas isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.
After collecting a base hit in each of his last four games, Vargas will receive a day to rest while Tim Tawa starts at first base for the Diamondbacks.
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