Miguel Vargas is headed to his first career All-Star Game.
The White Sox third baseman was selected by his peers as an American League reserve for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, which will be played on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Vargas, 26, has put together a breakout campaign in his third season with the White Sox. Entering Saturday’s game against the Guardians, he was slashing .248/.359/.495 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, 58 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and 51 walks over 86 games. His production has placed him among the American League leaders in several offensive categories, ranking fourth in runs scored, sixth in walks, tied for sixth in home runs, sixth in fWAR (3.2), tied for ninth in RBI, and 10th in OPS.
The All-Star nod also puts him in some excellent company in White Sox history. Vargs becomes just the sixth primary third baseman to earn an All-Star selection with the franchise, joining Joe Crede, Robin Ventura, Bill Melton, George Kell, and Jimmy Dykes. He’s also the seventh Cuban-born player in club history to receive the honor, alongside Luis Robert Jr., José Abreu, Alexei Ramírez, José Contreras, Minnie Miñoso, and Sandy Consuegra.
Among all MLB third basemen, Vargas currently leads in runs scored and walks, is tied for the lead in RBI, and ranks second in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS. He’s also been especially dangerous against left-handed pitching, hitting .310/.429/.644 with a 1.072 OPS that ranks third in the majors.
The season has included several memorable moments. Vargas drove in a career-high six runs with his second career grand slam on March 20 in Miami. From April 19-22, he homered in three straight games, joining Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami as just the third trio of teammates in MLB history to homer in three consecutive team games.
Since April 19, Vargas has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters, batting .276/.381/.551 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI over 66 games. He also delivered his first career walk-off homer on May 29 against Detroit, launching a two-run shot in the 10th inning, and followed it up with a strong June in which he hit .281 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 25 games.
Vargas reached another milestone Saturday night in Cleveland when he hit his 20th homer of the season. Along with Colson Montgomery (21) and Munetaka Murakami (20), the trio became just the second group of White Sox teammates in franchise history to each hit at least 20 home runs before the All-Star break, joining Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Paul Konerko in 2006.
Now, Vargas will have another first to add to his growing list of accomplishments: his first trip to the Midsummer Classic.
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Featured Photo: White Sox/X
