Infielder Ildemaro Vargas designated for assignment

March 28th, 2021

MESA — The Chicago Cubs today selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher Rex Brothers and infielders Matt Duffy and Eric Sogard. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas has been designated for assignment. Chicago’s 40-man roster stands at 40 players.

Brothers, 33, has not allowed a run in eight Spring Training relief appearances for Chicago, recording a 0.38 WHIP and a .083 opponent batting average (2-for-24) with one walk and nine strikeouts in 8.0 innings. He made Chicago’s Opening Day roster last season and pitched in three games in two stints with the team. Brothers is 20-14 with 63 holds, 20 saves and a 3.84 ERA (115 ER/269.1 IP) in 317 major league outings with the Rockies (2011-15), Braves (2017-18) and Cubs (2020).

Duffy, 30, owns a .282 career batting average (456-for-1,616) with 74 doubles, nine triples, 22 home runs and 169 RBI in 452 major league games with the Giants (2014-16) and Rays (2016, 2018-19), having spent time at third base (377 games), shortstop (30 games), second base (18 games) and first base (one game). In 2018 with the Rays, he batted .294 (148-for-503) while setting career marks for walks (47), steals (12-tied) and on-base percentage (.361). In his 2015 rookie season with San Francisco, the right-handed hitting Duffy batted .295 (169-for-573) with 28 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 77 RBI, finishing second in N.L. Rookie of the Year voting to Kris Bryant.

Sogard, 34, joined the Cubs on a minor league deal earlier this month and has batted .400 (12-for-30) with two doubles, a home run, four RBI, six walks compared to five strikeouts and a .500 on-base percentage in 12 Spring Training games. The left-handed hitter owns a .246 career average (509-for-2,067) with 98 doubles, 10 triples, 25 home runs and 175 RBI with Oakland (2010-15), Milwaukee (2017-18, 2020), Toronto (2019) and Tampa Bay (2019). Between the Blue Jays and Rays in 2019, Sogard established career highs with a .290 average, 13 home runs, 115 hits, 40 RBI, 38 extra-base hits and 181 total bases.

Vargas, 29, was claimed off waivers from Minnesota, September 5 of last season, and batted .222 (2-for-9) with a home run and one RBI in six games for Chicago.

COURTESY CHICAGO CUBS & MLBpressbox.com