In need of further depth of influence with Josh Donaldson still on the injured list, the Twins have made their first in-season active roster acquisition of 2020.
A four-year veteran, Ildemaro Vargas has spent all his time in the MLB as a reserve for the Diamondbacks. He has spent most of his time in the field on the second (56 appearances) and on the third (20) base, but has also appeared on the first base, shortstop, and corner outfielders. As a hitter, Vargas has so far completed the mold of “light-striking infielder”, with .257 / .287 / .387 up to this point in his career, as opposed to the bat of the previous Vargas of the Twins. (If Ildemaro chooses to wear No. 19, Kennys fans can return their old jerseys.)
Last year was the best of the newest Twin’s young career. Appearing in 92 games, Vargas defeated .269 / .299 / .413 with six home runs, including a pinch-hit game tier on Sept. 24, a game he won in the 19th inning with a walk-off single.
The addition of Vargas can be compared to Minnesota’s 2017 acquisition of Ehire Adrianza. By the time he joined the team, Adrianza (27 in the ’17 season) was two years younger than Vargas (turned 29 last month), sported a similarly low slashline (.220 / .292 / .313), and had made most of his appearances in midfield.
In addition to trading for Vargas, the Twins activated Willians Astudillo from the COVID-19 reserve list and promoted him to Paul’s alternative site. While we await the return of La Tortuga to the majors, it is now better to see that he is back in good health.
