Kansas City Royals Getting Jason Vargas Back at Right Time

Timing can be a funny thing, especially in the game of baseball. Hitting and pitching are all about timing, with each trying to disrupt the other. Then there is the timing that the rest of us experience in our lives, where things do not always happen as planned. Jason Vargas has certainly dealt with that timing this season.

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Vargas struggled in his first three starts for the Kansas City Royals this season, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.773 WHiP over his first 14.2 innings of work. However, he had appeared to have gotten on track, allowing only four runs in his next two starts, covering eleven innings. While those seven walks were troublesome, Vargas had appeared to turn the corner.

Naturally, just as everything seemed to be getting better, Vargas was injured, going on the disabled list with a strained flexor muscle in his left elbow. Normally, visions of Tommy John Surgery would be dancing in our heads, but somehow, Vargas managed to avoid that fate.

As it turns out, this proved to be quite fortuitous in more ways than one. With Danny Duffy going on the disabled list himself yesterday, Vargas happened to be ready in time to slot right in. Amazing how timing works sometimes.

Now, when the Kansas City Royals need a solid outing most, especially after the implosion that was Jeremy Guthrie yesterday, Vargas is back. Slotting directly in to Duffy’s place in the rotation, he will face the Yankees tonight, looking to get the Royals back on track after losing their past two games.

Which Jason Vargas will the Royals get? Will they get the Vargas who struggled out of the gate, getting hammered in his first three outings? Or will they get the Vargas of the two starts before he landed on the disabled list, who was able to get out of trouble relatively unscathed?

Perhaps Vargas’ struggles this season were due to that elbow issue. Maybe he was trying to pitch through the pain, and that was the cause behind his struggles to start the season. Now healthy, the Royals may be able to get the Vargas that they had last season instead.

The Kansas City Royals have gotten Jason Vargas back right when they need him. It would be perfect timing for a vintage Vargas performance, say circa 2014 as well.

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