Miguel Vargas Reinstated From Injured List As White Sox Host Rays

CHICAGO –– The White Sox are getting back one of their most productive hitters for the final few weeks of the 2025 season.

Ahead of Wednesday's 6:40 p.m. CT first pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays, they reinstated Miguel Vargas from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Bryan Ramos to Triple-A Charlotte. Playing first and third base, Vargas is tied for fourth on the team with 14 home runs and fourth with 52 RBIs to go along with a .234/.315/.404/.719 slash line.

"Very excited about Miguel getting back," White Sox manager Will Venable said. "He’s one of our tone-setters on the field, in the dugout, in the clubhouse. To have him back on the field means a lot for our group and excited to have him out there."

Vargas suffered a sprained left hand on Aug. 28 against the New York Yankees, as the 6-foot-7, 282-pound Aaron Judge ran to first base and collided with Vargas' hand as he reached catch a throw from third base. Considering that Vargas immediately fell to the ground in pain and exited the game, he missed perhaps less time that initially anticipated.

"Really happy that he was able to recover. Yeah, when it happened I thought something might have been broken with a collision with Judge like that and how he responded," Venable said before Wednesday's game.

"But he really went to work on the treatment. The training staff did a good job. Miguel did a great job doing the things he needed to do to get healthy. And I think there's probably still a little bit of pain in there, but nothing that's gonna hold him back. He's excited to be out there like we're excited to have him."

Vargas did not require a rehab stint, which may not have been the case in previous eras of Major League Baseball. Over the last few days, he has hit off the Trajeket machine and taken ground balls in the infield, giving Venable confidence that Vargas is ready to go.

"[Trajekt] a game changer for me. You get to see velocity. You get to see shapes," Venable said. "You get to do it at a high volume, and you don't have to play a bunch of innings of defense in between and build up that way. You know, you get to do it at your home ballpark. So yeah, it's a real game changer and gives me confidence that he's gonna be able to transition from not playing to playing pretty seamlessly."

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox