There are a couple of reasons third baseman Miguel Vargas isn’t bitter about seeing the Dodgers win the last two World Series championships after they traded him to the White Sox.
One of them is his personal happiness for former teammate Andy Pages, a fellow Cuban. Pages, an outfielder, played a key role in the Dodgers’ two titles, including a season-saving catch in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Blue Jays.
‘‘Seeing a Cuban guy win the World Series means a lot for us,’’ Vargas told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I know how hard it is for us to get here and get this opportunity. Being on the biggest stage, he made every Cuban proud.’’
The second reason is what the trade in 2024 meant to Vargas’ career. Despite going from a powerful team to one on its way to losing a record 121 games, Vargas quickly embraced the change.
Because of the Dodgers’ immense depth, it was unclear how Vargas would slot into their lineup in the long term. That wasn’t an issue with the Sox, who stuck with Vargas through his 2024 struggles and now have one of the most productive third basemen in the majors.
‘‘It was a great opportunity for me,’’ Vargas said. ‘‘Coming here and having the opportunity to play every day and improve my game was a lot for me. This team gave me the opportunity, and they trusted me to play third base every day. I’ve been playing pretty well this year, and this team has, too. So we’re all really happy about it.’’
Thanks, Dave
Outside of his father, Sox manager Will Venable said Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts is among the group of people who made the biggest impact on his career. That list also includes Chris Young and Nick Hundley, former Padres teammates and executives with the Rangers, with whom Venable assisted manager Bruce Bochy.
When Venable was playing with the Padres, Roberts was a special assistant, first-base coach and bench coach. Venable said Roberts is somebody ‘‘you just look up to’’ for how he handles his work.
‘‘You get the lessons on leadership,’’ Venable said. ‘‘You get the skills, outfield play, stealing bases. A number of things that he’s just set a great example for with me and taught me about.’’
Roberts also offered Venable advice when he was interviewing for managerial jobs between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Venable now is in his second season running the Sox and doesn’t need to job-hunt, but Roberts is there to talk with him about being a big-league manager.
‘‘[He’s] somebody still [that] if I have questions about things or I’m interested in certain dynamics of the job, I can pick up the phone,’’ Venable said. ‘‘He’s always there to help me out.’’
Not his day
Sox starter Sean Burke allowed four earned runs and six hits, including two home runs, and walked five in four innings. In his last two starts, Burke has walked 10 batters and given up four homers in 8⅓ innings.
Burke said that he wasn’t in rhythm early and that his misses are too big.
‘‘Execution doesn’t feel great right now,’’ said Burke, whose ERA rose to 4.15.