Miguel Vargas hits 20th homer in loss to Guardians

Vargas supplied the lone hit for either side in a low-scoring Midsummer Classic when he took his former Dodgers minor league teammate Justin Wrobleski deep with a 433-foot blast into the second deck in left field in the eighth inning. The American League’s pitching staff was the story in this one, piling up an astronomical 15 strikeouts and tossed a three-hit shutout. Vargas was one of the driving forces behind Chicago’s rapid turnaround, finishing the first half with a .245/.355/.493 slash line with a career-high 21 homers, 59 RBI and 11 stolen bases across 409 plate appearances through 94 games. The White Sox kick off the second half with a road series against the Blue Jays.

Vargas reached all four times, as he also drew two walks. The 26-year-old has 19 homers on the season — this one a two-run shot off Luinder Avila in the first inning — and he’s driven in 52 runs; putting him right around a 100-RBI pace on the season. It took a while, but Vargas is starting to show why he was considered such an elite prospect when he was a member of the Dodgers.

This was an all-time blowout. Vargas got the White Sox going with a three-run home run that started their 10-run third inning. He chipped in another run-scoring double in that same frame and one last RBI in the seventh when they already had 20 runs home. In all, they hit five home runs as a team and did all of their damage against real pitchers. Infielder Tyler Tolbert actually turned in a scoreless eighth inning when all the dust had settled. Baseball can be a funny sport sometimes. As for Vargas, that home run was his 18th on the season as he looks to put the finishing touches on his All-Star resume.

Vargas’ home run was his 17th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Parker Messick to put the White Sox ahead 2-1 in the sixth inning. Vargas was hitting .250 with three home runs in 18 games in June entering play Tuesday. He’s hitting .237 with an .820 OPS and 45 RBI this year.

Vargas takes a seat for the first time since May 20. The 26-year-old has put together a phenomenal season as one of Chicago’s primary catalysts, slashing .237/.354/.467 with a career-high 16 home runs, 44 RBI and 10 steals in 323 plate appearances over 74 games. A quick break to recharge both mentally and physically makes a ton of sense since he’s been scuffling recently, hitting .111 (3-for-27) over his last seven games and has just three homers since the start of June. It’ll be rookie Jacob Gonzalez getting a look at the cold corner in his place.

Vargas had a two-run single in the top of the third inning to give the White Sox a 3-0 lead in a game they would eventually lose 6-4. He now has 40 RBI on the season. Vargas is hitting .241 with an .861 OPS, 44 runs, 15 home runs and nine stolen bases.

Vargas’s 383-foot double in the first would have been a homer in 11 ballparks. In Target Field, though, it probably would have been caught by a plus center fielder. The Twins, though, had Kody Clemens out there with Byron Buxton limited to DHing. Vargas now has 15 homers in 257 plate appearances this season. That’s one fewer than he had in 569 plate appearances last year and two more than he had in 591 career plate appearances prior to 2025.

It’s a significant hit for Chicago and fantasy managers as Murakami will remain on the shelf until at least late June, even in a best-case scenario. There’s a chance he’s out until around the All-Star break in mid-July. The 26-year-old power-hitter was putting together a phenomenal rookie campaign, slashing .240/.378/.560 with 43 runs scored, 20 homers, 41 RBI and one stolen base across 246 plate appearances through 57 games. There are some lingering contact concerns in his profile, but he’s looked like an over-the-fence power threat so far. There should be a clearer return timetable once he’s cleared to begin ramping up baseball activities. It’ll be Miguel Vargas moving over to cover first base with breakout prospect Jacob Gonzalez getting a chance with the White Sox in a multi-position role.

Vargas got the White Sox on the board in the third inning with an RBI double off of Troy Melton. They then scratched out a run off of Kyle Finnegan in the ninth inning to force extra innings. After the Tigers scored once in the top half of the frame, the White Sox were down to their final out with Drew Romo still standing on second base when Vargas obliterated an 0-1 changeup from Drew Anderson for a 391-foot (102.3 mph EV) two-run shot that sent the White Sox’ faithful into a frenzy. With his 2-for-5 night, Vargas is now slashing .235/.365/.485 with 13 homers and 34 RBI on the season.

Vargas finished the afternoon 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored. It’s the continuation of a full-on breakout for the former top prospect, as he’s lowered his strikeout percentage to a career-best and raised his walk percentage to a career-high, all while barreling the ball more than he ever has. The combination of patience, power, and contact points to this sustaining, and he even pulls fly balls in the air at an above-average clip. The White Sox line up for a seven-game homestand against the Twins and Tigers this upcoming week.