On Friday Night, the Los Angeles Dodgers will take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium in a National League Division Series rematch.
The Dodgers eliminated the Phillies on that occasion after a 3-1 series win.
Most recently, the Dodgers finished a series sweep over the Colorado Rockies with a 4-1 win on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Dodgers Get Good News on Santiago Espinal
Despite the series win for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team paid a significant injury price as Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández were both placed on the team’s injured list. The news was particularly unfortunate for Kiké Hernández as he had just made his season debut before suffering an oblique tear.
Hernández replaced former All-Star Santiago Espinal, who had been struggling his first season with the Dodgers, as he had a .604 OPS in 24 games. Prior to the series opener, Espinal was designated for assignment to make place for Hernández on the roster.
Fortunately, the Dodgers got some good news, as Espinal went unclaimed and was then sent outright to the team’s triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.
Regarding the news, Dodgers on SI’s Noah Camras wrote:
“The fact that Espinal went through waivers unclaimed, though, is a major win for the Dodgers, who now get to keep him in the organization.
Espinal is currently at Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, if the Dodgers decide they want to bring him back up as a right-handed bat off the bench to spell Max Muncy at third base, they now can.”
Santiago Espinal’s Career
Camras wrote of Espinal:
“Espinal, 31, appeared in 26 games for the Dodgers this year, going 9-for-41 (.220) with one home run, four runs batted in and an OPS of .604.
Across his seven-year career in MLB, he’s appeared in 604 games with the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .260 with 21 home runs, 164 RBIs and an OPS of .663.
Espinal was a former top prospect of the Blue Jays who had a solid 2021 campaign and was named an All-Star in 2022. He’s struggled over the last three years, and ended up joining the Dodgers on a minor league deal this past February.”
Aside from making the All-Star team in the 2022 season, Espinal was a top-25 prospect in the Blue Jays organization prior to the 2020 season. At the time, MLB.com wrote of Espinal:
“Espinal has a collection of mostly average-or-better tools despite being somewhat undersized at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. He has good bat speed from the right side of the plate that allows him to make plenty of hard, line-drive contact across the entire field. He’s grown into some power since becoming a pro, showing some occasional over-the-fence pop, though he’s likely to tally more doubles and triples at the highest level.
Espinal’s defense is a separator. His athleticism is on display at shortstop, where he has above-average range, soft hands and the above-average arm needed to stick at the position. He’s also seen time at both second and third base, and it’s led some evaluators to peg him as a future utility infielder in the big leagues.”
With Espinal remaining in the organization, it is possible for him to get some playing time in the future if Max Muncy suffers another injury.
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