The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Monday’s off-day that they have claimed infielder Ildermaro Vargas, who was put on waivers by the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. To make room on the 40-man roster and the 26-man roster, Troy Stokes Jr has been designated for assignment.
The Pirates have claimed INF Ildemaro Vargas off waivers from the Chicago Cubs.
Outfielder Troy Stokes Jr., has been designated for assignment to make room.
— Mike Persak (@MikeDPersak) May 17, 2021
Vargas has played parts of five years in the majors, though he has just over two years of service time. This season for the Cubs, he has a .143/.250/.238 slash line in nine games. He played 24 big league games last season, while seeing time with three different teams. His best big league season was 2019 when he played 92 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks and hit .269/.299/.413 in 211 plate appearances. The 29-year-old Vargas has played all four infielder spots and both corner outfield spots in the majors, but a large majority of his time has been spent at second base. He has plenty of experience at shortstop in the minors.
The 25-year-old Stokes went 2-for-18 in eight games with the Pirates, which was his first experience in the majors. This is the second time that he has been DFA’d by the Pirates.
