TODAY: As expected, Espinal rejected the outright assignment and opted to become a free agent, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
OCTOBER 31: The Reds announced that infielder today Santiago Espinal has been sent straight to Triple-A Louisville. That indicates he has granted waivers in recent days. He has the right to choose freely and will probably do so in the coming days.
It is common for clubs to clear roster space at this time of year. The offseason starts in the coming days, which means the injured list will disappear. Players on the 60-day IL will have to regain roster spots, although some players are also headed to free agency. The Reds currently do not have a super tight selection. Grid source sets them at 38 men for the start of winter, although there are options Brent Suter And Scott Barlow they could have taken them down to 40. Espinal’s removal takes them down to 37, not including Suter or Barlow.
Even if the Reds don’t really need a roster spot right now, there’s value in opening one up. Perhaps some interesting players will be put on waivers by other clubs in the coming days. The Reds will also likely want to add a few players to the roster to protect them from selection in the Rule 5 draft.
Espinal wouldn’t stay on the roster for long anyway. His performance has been declining for some time. He could have been retained through arbitration for the 2026 season, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz predicting a $2.9 million salary, but the Reds would not tender him.
The infielder had some decent results with the Blue Jays a few years ago and even made the All-Star team in 2022, but he hasn’t done much since. He has made 973 appearances at the plate over the past three years with a combined .245/.298/.325 line and 71 wRC+. That includes a .243/.292/.282 line and 58 wRC+ in 2025.
At his best, Espinal can play multiple positions while hitting lefties. Just last year, while his overall offense was poor, he slashed .289/.344/.491 for a 122 wRC+ against lefties. He was still better against lefties in 2025, but hit just .265/.317/.342 for a wRC+ of 81.
Assuming he opts for free agency, Espinal could draw interest from clubs in a bench/utility role, either on a minor league pact or a modest big league deal. He has experience at all four infield spots and at the outfield corners.
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
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