Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Beginning rehab assignment

Vargas (shoulder) joined Triple-A Rochester on Thursday to begin a rehab assignment, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Vargas has been on the injured list for over two weeks due to a strained left shoulder. It's unclear how many games Vargas will play in the minors, but the goal is to get him plenty of at-bats and starts at shortstop. Once he's feeling better, he'll likely return to his role as a utility piece for Washington.