Infielder Santiago Espinal has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the club announced Thursday. He has been assigned to Triple-A Reno.
Espinal, 31, became an unexpected addition to the Los Angeles Dodgers' Opening Day roster in 2026 after a strong spring training performance. He played a key depth role for the Dodgers early in the season, especially with utility man Kiké Hernandez sidelined. Manager Dave Roberts remarked at the time that Espinal had "fit in seamlessly" and it would be "hard to imagine him not being on the team."
However, Espinal was designated for assignment by the Dodgers in June to make room on the roster for Tommy Edman, who was returning from offseason ankle surgery. This was the second time Espinal had been designated for assignment by the team. He elected free agency and had a brief stint with the Texas Rangers’ minor league affiliate before being released at the end of July.
Since his tenure with the Dodgers ended, Espinal has not appeared in a major league game. For Los Angeles, he played in 36 games, batting .268 with one home run, seven RBIs, and an OPS of .651 across 60 plate appearances.
Espinal, an All-Star with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, will look to regain form with the Diamondbacks, who could potentially call him up later in the season. He now joins an NL West rival after his departure from Los Angeles.