D-backs expected to place Jake Lamb on injured list, call up Ildemaro Vargas

The Arizona Diamondbacks are expected to place infielder Jake Lamb onto the injured list with a quad injury, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.

In his place, infielder Ildemaro Vargas is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Reno.

Lamb suffered a left quad sprain during the Wednesday game against the San Diego Padres, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo told FOX Sports Arizona. Lovullo said he expected Lamb to undergo an MRI Thursday.

Gambadoro believes the official move will come Friday, prior to the D-backs’ home opener against the Boston Red Sox, as the team had a day off Thursday.

The injury is a setback for Lamb, who was hoping to regain form from his 2017 All-Star season. In 2018, he only played 56 games and hit just .222. He particularly struggled against lefties, batting .170.

This season, he has four hits in 15 at-bats, good for a .267 average. He also has two RBI.

While it’s unclear how long Lamb will be out, the injury bug has struck Arizona early this year. Outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is out for the season with a knee injury and relief pitcher Silvino Bracho will miss the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Vargas is expected to return to the majors after starting the season with the D-backs in place of Souza.

The 27-year-old, who has played 29 MLB games in his career, was sent down to the minors April 1 to make room for pitcher Jon Duplantier when Arizona wanted an extra arm for the series against the Padres.

Last season, Vargas went on a 35-game hitting streak, the longest in Aces history. He had one hit in six at-bats in his first go-around with the D-backs this year.

Follow @Logan_Newsman