Ildemaro Vargas DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled infielder Ildemaro Vargas from Triple-A Reno on Thursday and optioned infield prospect Jordan Lawlar to Reno in a corresponding move. Vargas opted out of his minor-league deal with the D-backs earlier this week before re-signing to a major-league contract on Thursday. The 33-year-old veteran will serve as a utility infielder for the time being for the Snakes and won't have a ton of fantasy value outside of deep NL-only leagues. The Venezuelan infielder has eight years of big-league experience with a .246/.289/.354 career slash line, 17 homers, 126 RBI and 16 steals in 420 games. Vargas hit .246 (67-for-272) with a homer, 30 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases in 95 games last year with the Washington Nationals.

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to major-league spring training with free-agent utility man Ildemaro Vargas on Tuesday, according to sources. Vargas landed on the open market this offseason after being non-tendered by the Washington Nationals last month. The 33-year-old veteran switch-hitting infielder slashed .246/.295/.316 with only one homer, 30 RBI, a career-high nine stolen bases and 21 runs scored in 95 games with the Nats in 2024 in his eighth big-league season. Vargas made his major-league debut in Arizona back in 2017 and has played parts of five seasons in the desert, so he'll be rejoining an organization he's pretty familiar with. At best, Vargas might be worth a bench spot in NL-only leagues as a utility infielder if an injury opens up more playing time for him.

Washington Nationals infielder Ildemaro Vargas has cleared waivers and has elected to test free agency, according to Bobby Blanco. Vargas posted a .246/.295/.316 slash line with one home run and nine stolen bases across 97 games with the Nationals. He was deployed as a utility option in Washington last season and logged double-digit starts at second base, third base, and the outfield. He held a stellar 10.2% strikeout rate but struggled to generate hard contact as he carried a poor 31.9% hard-hit rate and a 1.2% barrel rate. Fantasy managers should expect Vargas to have a similar role in the 2025 campaign if he finds a suitor, but he should not be on your fantasy radar given his lack of hitting production.