Espinal and the Reds agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Espinal was traded from the Blue Jays to the Reds in March and had a .246/.295/.356 slash line with nine home runs and 11 steals in 118 games during 2024. He should fill a utility role for Cincinnati again in 2025.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Fills in at second base
Rotowire
Espinal started at second base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Cleveland.
Espinal filled in at second base for Jonathan India, who was held out of the starting lineup after clearing concussion protocol. Espinal's in a skid to end the season, going 4-for-37 (.108) over the 11 games, but he's been productive overall during the second half.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Espinal is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Pirates.
After starting each of the previous 16 games, Espinal will begin Friday's series opener on the bench. Noelvi Marte will hold down third base for the Reds.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Slides to second base
Rotowire
Espinal started at second base and went 0-for-4 in Monday's 1-0 win over Atlanta.
Espinal, who has been seeing regular duty at third base, moved over to second to cover for the injured Jonathan India (elbow), who was removed from Sunday's contest and absent from Monday's lineup. Espinal is 4-for-21 over the last six games, but his second-half body of work remains strong -- he's batting .358/.402/.514 over 33 games since the All-Star break.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Getting call at third base
Rotowire
Espinal will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's contest against the Astros.
Espinal has started two straight and five of the last eight games at third base, as it's looking like he has leapfrogged Noelvi Marte on the depth chart at the position. The 29-year-old Espinal is slashing .398/.436/.580 since the All-Star break and should continue to receive regular reps while he's swinging a hot bat.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Pinch hits Saturday
Rotowire
Espinal (shin) entered Saturday's game as a pinch hitter and went 0-for-1 in a 5-4 loss to Milwaukee.
Espinal, who sustained an injury to his left shin during Friday's game, took infield practice prior to the game and was moving around, but he was held out of the starting lineup. Reds manager David Bell told MLB.com that they're trying to keep Espinal off his feet as much as possible and suggested the infielder may be able to play Sunday.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Remaining out Saturday
Rotowire
Espinal (shin) isn't in the Reds' lineup for Saturday's game against Milwaukee.
Espinal had to make an early exit from Friday's nightcap after fouling a ball off his left shin, and he'll take a seat for at least Saturday's game as he deals with some inflammation. His absence will open a spot in the lineup for Noelvi Marte to start at third base while batting eighth.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Maintaining regular lineup spot
Rotowire
Espinal will start in right field and bat sixth in Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Espinal will pick up an eighth consecutive start after he recorded at least one hit in each of his previous seven contests while going 11-for-27 with three runs and three RBI. He's seen action at third base, second base, designated hitter and now right field over the last eight games, and the Reds should continue to carve out a regular spot in the lineup for Espinal while he's wielding a hot bat.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Extends hit streak
Rotowire
Espinal started at third base and went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Pirates.
Espinal delivered a two-run single that gave the Reds a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. He's hit safely in six straight games, during which Espinal is 10-for-23 with three RBI and three runs. This continues a strong second half for the 29-year-old utility infielder. Espinal is batting .424/.452/.610 over 17 games since the All-Star break.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Homers, swipes two bags
Rotowire
Espinal started in left field and went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two stolen bases in Sunday's loss to the Giants.
Espinal has now started six of the last seven contests and will continue to vie for playing time at third base, especially with fellow third baseman Noelvi Marte struggling with a .488 OPS. The versatile Espinal has started at second base, shortstop, third base, left field and designated hitter this season, batting .243 with eight home runs, 30 RBI, 21 runs scored and eight stolen bases across 77 games played.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Hit streak ends
Rotowire
Espinal started at third base and went 0-for-3 in Friday's 3-0 loss to San Francisco.
Espinal, who made a fifth consecutive start, saw an end to a nine-game hit streak (as a starter). He entered Friday's game in a 19-for-35 stretch over the previous 12 games, which led to an increase in playing time, including starts at third base the last two games. The primary starter at the hot corner, Noelvi Marte, is batting .177 since coming back from a suspension and could be susceptible to losing playing time to Espinal.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Four-hit night
Rotowire
Espinal started at designated hitter and went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Cubs.
Espinal was in the starting lineup for a third consecutive game; with the Reds awaiting the arrival of Ty France, who was acquired Monday, Espinal slotted in at DH for the night. Once France arrives, it is expected that he and Jeimer Candelario will most frequently handle first base/DH.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Takes over at second base
Rotowire
Espinal entered Saturday's 10-6 win over the Marlins to play second base after Jonathan India (knee) was removed from the game in the top of the fourth inning. Espinal finished 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
India sustained a left knee contusion on a steal attempt during the second frame and remained in the game for one more inning before his removal. He was scratched from a game earlier this week due to the same injury. The Reds may opt to have India sit on Sunday, the final game before the All-Star break. Miami is scheduled to start a lefty (Trevor Rogers), so the right-handed-hitting Espinal is likely to play in some capacity even if India is available.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Homers in win
Rotowire
Espinal went 2-for-4 with a double and a solo home run in Thursday's 8-1 win over Colorado.
Espinal got the start at shortstop, giving Elly De La Cruz a breather, and belted his fourth home run of the season. It was his third straight start after he filled in at second base for Jonathan India, who battled knee soreness the previous two games. Espinal has hit safely in four straight, going 6-for-12 and bumping his average to .203 for the season.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Getting third straight start
Rotowire
Espinal will start at shortstop and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Rockies.
Espinal will be rewarded with a third consecutive start after he went 3-for-7 with a walk, two runs and two RBI between the previous two contests. Both of Espinal's last two starts were at second base in place of Jonathan India, who battled knee soreness. The 29-year-old Espinal still appears have a role as a short-side platoon player and occasional fill-in rather than a regular in the Reds lineup.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Sitting in second straight game
Rotowire
Espinal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Espinal will hit the bench for the second straight day after he had started in six straight games at either third base or designated hitter. With Noelvi Marte recently getting reinstated from an 80-game suspension to begin the season and with Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario returning to the lineup Saturday and Sunday, respectively, after multi-game absences, Espinal's opportunities are expected to become more limited moving forward.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Playing time trending upward
Rotowire
Espinal will start at third base and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Pirates.
Espinal will occupy third base for the fifth time in six games, with three of those starts coming against right-handers. For the second time during that stretch, Espinal will take aim at Pirates lefty Bailey Falter, who takes the hill for the Pirates on Monday. Espinal will carry a five-game hitting streak into Monday's contest, and he could end up handling a near-everyday role in the Cincinnati infield until the team elects to reinstate Noelvi Marte (suspension) to the big-league roster. Marte's 80-game suspension comes to an end Thursday, but he's struggled during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville and could be optioned if the Reds prefer to hand Espinal regular playing time.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Gets another start
Rotowire
Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Pittsburgh.
Espinal received a second consecutive start at the hot corner, as Jeimer Candelario (tendinitis) was unavailable. This could be a situation where manager David Bell is giving Candelario multiple days to rest up, including a team day off Thursday, so that he'll be ready to go Friday when the Reds open a home series against the suddenly hot Red Sox.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Provides offense in win
Rotowire
Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Pittsburgh.
Espinal provided all the offense needed with a two-run homer in the fifth inning. He was making his first start in seven games and has just 18 at-bats this month; however, he could see action in the immediate future. Jeimer Candelario, who started at first base, was removed from Tuesday's contest due to tendinitis. Candelario has been the team's primary third baseman and may be held out of Wednesday's series finale in Pittsburgh.
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Reds' Santiago Espinal: Steps in at third
Rotowire
Espinal started at third base and went 1-for-3 in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Dodgers.
Espinal was a late addition to the lineup after Jeimer Candelario (neck) was scratched. The utility infielder is getting a relevant amount of plate appearances due to injuries and a player suspension. While his .195 average isn't attractive, Espinal has hit with regularity of late, going 9-for-33 (.273) with a double, a home run, three RBI, four walks, two steals and four runs scored over the last 11 games.
