One day after his collision-mate Nico Hoerner returned from the Injured List, Ian Happ is also back. Today the Cubs activated the outfielder from the IL, designating Ildemaro Vargas for assignment to make room.
Happ, who had a huge game in Cincinnati just before that outfield collision jacked up his ribs, has been off to a very slow start this year, but hopefully he can come back out of the gate hot. As for Vargas, he’s a nice and versatile player, but he has yet to show he can hit at the big league level. Without any options available, the Cubs had to DFA him to make room for Happ on the roster. The Cubs will have seven days to trade, waive, or release Vargas. My best guess is that they’ll hope he clears waivers and accepts an outright assignment to Iowa.