Dodgers second baseman Miguel Vargas has been playing in spring training games this week, but he’s not yet cleared to swing the bat in games because of a fractured right pinky finger. He’s playing defense just fine and it doesn’t affect his throwing or his swinging, but the team is being extra cautious about the vibration of the bat when hitting a big-league fastball.
Vargas has still been playing because he needs the reps on defense at his new position, and standing in the batter’s box and tracking pitches is very useful for a young player adjusting to the majors, so he’s getting a lot of the benefit he’d get if he were fully playing.