Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Says He’s Reassured Miguel Vargas That He’s Part of the Plan

The former top prospect received reassurance from his manager.
Matt Wagner|
Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Says He’s Reassured Miguel Vargas That He’s Part of the Plan
Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Says He’s Reassured Miguel Vargas That He’s Part of the Plan

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Things haven't gone as Miguel Vargas had hoped they would this season.

Coming into this year, one of the Dodgers top hitting prospects was looking to build on a successful 2022 campaign, one where he made his MLB debut and came up with some clutch hits on occasion in his first stint in the big leagues.

Unfortunately for Vargas, he hasn't been able to build on that momentum as he's hitting .201/.301/.376 this season entering Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

And things have taken an even sharper turn for the worse of late as the 23-year-old was 1 for his last 22 at the plate entering Wednesday, and has lost what he hoped would be a regular spot in the Dodgers lineup.

Despite Vargas' rough season, manager Dave Roberts isn't giving up on the infielder, as he gave him reassurance pregame before the Dodgers eventual win over the Rockies on Tuesday -- a game in which Vargas was absent from the lineup, a move Roberts attributed to giving the young prospective star a break.

“It’s a mental break more than anything, to be quite honest. I had a great conversation with him -- just wanted to ease his mind and continue to let him know the confidence hasn’t wavered.” (via SportsNet LA)

As for how he believes Vargas can find his rhythm, the former MLB player talked about narrowing things down to one singular focus.

“I think for me it’s just going back to what he does really well. And that’s to get hits. And if we can simplify it to that and swing at good pitches, not to do too much. He doesn’t have to be a carrier and slug, just to get hits I think things will start to turn.” (via SportsNet LA)

One of the tougher things for players to overcome when they begin to struggle is the tendency for them to want to fix things quickly, rather than focusing on improving their process. And that may have been what Vargas fell victim to. 

“I think once you start to struggle, you start to press a little bit and you try to get things back in one game, one at-bat and then it snowballs. And it’s not just young players. And a little reset I hope gets him back on track.” (via SportsNet LA)

The versatile infielder is still in the fold as far as Roberts is concerned. He said that Vargas will be in the lineup for the Dodgers final two games against the Rockies this Wednesday and Thursday, and he'll also be in the starting nine for two of their three games against the Royals this weekend.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.

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