"The 31-year-old has survived in MLB as a contact hitter, whiffing and striking out less than almost everyone in MLB. He also exhibited some solid defensive numbers early on in his career, but hovered around league average with the glove in 2025. While he doesn't have any trouble hitting for contact, Espinal has found issue with making meaningful offensive contributions over the past couple of seasons."
"He played 114 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2025, recording a career-low .575 OPS with a meager .243/.292/.282 slash line. He logged 328 plate appearances last year, but didn't manage a single home run. Espinal is a career .261 hitter and has a .665 OPS through 578 MLB appearances. His best stretch in the majors came from 2021-22, when he recorded nine home runs and 68 RBIs."
Santiago Espinal signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and has quickly integrated into the clubhouse, valuing veteran teammates' experience. The 31-year-old is known for contact hitting and very low strikeout rates. Defensive performance was strong earlier in his career but regressed to around league average in 2025. Offensive production declined recently, including a career-low .575 OPS and no home runs over 328 plate appearances with Cincinnati in 2025. Espinal is a career .261 hitter with a .665 OPS through 578 MLB appearances and had his best stretch from 2021-22, producing nine home runs and 68 RBIs.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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