Oscar Vargas, Denver's longtime utility infielder and defensive specialist, has a reputation for great durability.
But after having to go on the IL earlier this season with a concussion, he once again got injured while getting back into game shape on a rehab assignment down at AAA Chester. He returns to the IL with a strained back and expected to be out another 2 weeks.
There is a big debate raging in the Denver front office about whether to try to keep Vargas at the end of the year, when is eligible for free agency. He is a sentimental favorite in many corners of the organization, and not just for his terrific glove or his aw,shucks humility, or for his many clutch hits over the years, or even because he has so faithfully served the team for so long (he joined the team mid-season 1968) in such an important but unheralded role. Well, I guess he is a favorite for all of those reasons combined, really.
And the feeling is that his defense has seen very little decline, if any, over the years. And while he has never been a very good contact hitter, when he does connect he can do damage and he also is good at drawing walks at the most opportune of times. But there is this competing concern that his foot speed seems much diminished after years where he was clearly an above average runner and base stealer. And there are those in the front office who hint that this is just a pre-curser to some likely steep declines across the board soon.
Plus, with the emergence of Joe Willemse these past few years, Vargas is expendable. Nobody wants to use that word, but it's the undeniable truth.
And this latest injury is certainly not helping those in the keep Vargas camp.