Miguel Vargas has a hairline fracture in his right pinkie

Dodgers rookie second baseman Miguel Vargas suffered a hairline fracture of his right pinkie that will sideline him from swinging a bat for a few days, manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday at Camelback Ranch.

From Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:

Vargas said he has continued taking ground balls and he was able to throw during the workout but “when I feel the vibration of the bat, it makes it hurt a little but everything else is OK.”

From Jack Harris at the Los Angeles Times:

While Roberts said pain tolerance will dictate how long it takes Vargas to return to full activities, Vargas said he was confident he’d be back by the time Cactus League games start Saturday.

The Dodgers open Cactus League play on Saturday afternoon against the Brewers in Maryvale.

Links

Remember Red Sox replay coordinator J.T. Watkins, who was suspended by MLB in 2020 for improper use of the video room during the 2018 season? He’s been hired by the Dodgers. Dylan Hernández of the Los Angeles Times has more, including reaction from several on the team. Says Clayton Kershaw: “No matter what enhancements technology had back then, there needs to be a clear distinction between what the Astros did and what everybody else did.”

Gavin Lux is now back at shortstop, the position at which he was drafted and played 76 percent of his minor league innings defensively. Juan Toribio at MLB.com has more. “I think I would’ve been ready [to play shortstop three years] ago and I would’ve taken my bumps and bruises, but I’m not sure how I would’ve handled it,” Lux told Toribio. “But I think now, mentally and physically, I’m way more prepared to handle it than I would’ve been three years ago. It’s night and day, for sure.”

Part of Fabian Ardaya’s Monday Dodgers notebook at The Athletic was about how having J.D. Martinez as the regular designated hitter will affect Will Smith, who started 24 games at DH last year in addition to his catching duties.

“It’s just going to be more of Will will just have off days,” Roberts said Sunday, though he was quick to note nothing has been set in stone. “I don’t expect J.D. to DH 162. But he’s going to be the guy who’s going to be in that position 99.9 percent of the time. So if there is a time Will doesn’t play, it’ll just be an off day.”