Dave Roberts' Miguel Vargas Opening Day roster gaffe wasn't a fantastic look

Is forgetting to tell someone the most important information of their personal offseason just because it's a foregone conclusion the worst thing Dave Roberts has ever done as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers? Absolutely not. Just ask Clayton Kershaw.

Still, though, there's something to be said for removing an important element of pomp and circumstance from a player who'd earned it, even if both Roberts and Miguel Vargas will laugh about this year's offseason ending somewhere down the line.

Despite Vargas' status as a likely Opening Day starter from the jump, there was absolutely nothing normal about his 2023 prep. Out of nowhere, Andrew Friedman started the year by claiming that the experienced third baseman/left fielder would be the expected everyday second baseman, following the shift ban. His athleticism will come in handy, even though he's never done it before. We hope.

Then, Vargas fractured his pinky, but still needed to learn the finer points of second. To cope with the position change, Roberts and Co. had him play the field in camp without swinging the bat. It must've been so damn hard not to take a hack, even as he was taking his walks. Veterans like Zack Greinke messed with him, knowing he couldn't fight back. Pitchers who gave him free passes fumed. Still, he chugged onward, waking up and going 10-for-33 after he was cleared to rake.

And now, on the verge of the first Opening Day roster spot of his career, Dave Roberts ... forgot him.

"Because it was all assumed that he was going to be on the team, I didn’t feel the need to call him in," Roberts said, laughing. "He was asking what his status was going into the Freeway Series.

"I said, ‘Hey, you’re starting at second base this year, congratulations.’”
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) March 26, 2023

Dave Roberts forgot to tell Miguel Vargas he made Dodgers Opening Day Roster

Again ... there are worse things than being an Opening Day starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Vargas isn't broken-hearted. But it would've been nice for him to receive the same message as other first-timers like James Outman, Ryan Pepiot and Andre Jackson.

After all, Outman got the full out-of-body experience and called the news "surreal" and a "dream." Vargas? All he got were shrugs and assumptions.

When the curtains rise on 2023, all will be forgotten. Vargas will be right back at his mission of replacing Justin Turner's offensive production and making Dodgers fans pay attention to the youth movement/forget about the turnover. Because, whether anyone told him or not, he will be out there.

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