Dodgers News: 'Dynamic' Miguel Vargas Seeming More Likely for NLDS Roster

Dodgers rookie Miguel Vargas didn't do much to make his case for the postseason roster, but he might end up there anyway.

When Dodgers rookie Miguel Vargas was called up from the minors in early September, L.A. manager Dave Roberts said Vargas would be given every opportunity to earn a spot on the postseason roster.

Vargas batted .170 with a .455 OPS, so it's hard to make a case that he "earned" a roster spot. But the youngster did have one hot stretch that showed a little bit of what he's capable of offensively, batting .294 with a .748 OPS over a five-game span.

Perhaps more importantly, Hanser Alberto was on the roster all season and batted just .244 with a .623 OPS. With Los Angeles unlikely to need Alberto's services on the mound, most of his value comes via his leadership in the dugout, and the team can get that without Alberto being on the active roster.

All of that might inform what we learned on Monday about Vargas:

#Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it'll be "hard not to see" Blake Treinen on the roster if he continues to feel healthy.

Miguel Vargas is also "right there" when it comes to discussions for the last bench spot.

— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) October 10, 2022

Neither Vargas nor Alberto is likely to get much playing time. In the postseason, bench players don't get starts just to give someone a rest, so whichever player has that spot will be pinch-hitting only, barring injury to someone else. And while Alberto has hit better than Vargas in the majors this season, he hasn't hit well, and you'd probably be hard-pressed to find anyone in the Dodgers organization who believes Alberto is a better hitter than Vargas.

There are plenty of things to consider, and unlike the Game 1 starting pitcher decision, this might actually be a case of Roberts and Andrew Friedman still working on the decision. But don't be surprised if Vargas ends up on the roster over Alberto.