The Diamondbacks have added another layer of infield depth, signing veteran Santiago Espinal to a minor league deal and sending him to Triple-A Reno, according to an announcement from the Aces.
Espinal had been on the market for the past three weeks after Texas released him in late July. The move gives Arizona its third team of the season for the 2022 All-Star, who has bounced through a busy year and now lands in the organization as a contact-first option with defensive value at second and third base.
His time with Los Angeles included two separate MLB stints after he opened the season on a minor league contract. In all, Espinal appeared in 36 games for the Dodgers and started one-third of them. He hit .268, but the bat came with very little impact: just one walk and four extra-base hits in 60 plate appearances.
The Dodgers moved on once Tommy Edman came back from a season-opening injured list stint. Espinal then spent most of July with the Rangers’ Triple-A club, where he hit .262 without a home run in 11 games.
Arizona’s need is pretty straightforward. The club is thin at both second and third base, with Nolan Arenado missing the first two games of the Boston series this week because of an intercostal injury before returning Wednesday as the designated hitter. Ketel Marte’s situation is even murkier after his surprise placement on the restricted list, leaving the Diamondbacks searching for cover while they wait for answers.
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