Cincinnati Reds third baseman Santiago Espinal (4) catches a line drive in the sixth inning between Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Aug. 13, 2025. Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds Veteran Infielder Elects Free Agency

Originally posted on Cincinnati Reds on SI
By Greg Kuffner | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 11:28 AM ET

Santiago Espinal has elected free agency after being outrighted by the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard.

The Reds traded for Espinal ahead of the 2024 season. In 232 across two seasons, Espinal has been a nice presence defensively, but struggled offensively, slashing .245/.294/.322 with 33 extra-base hits.

After hitting nine home runs in 118 games in 2024, Espinal failed to go deep in 114 games in the 2025 season.

When Cincinnati traded for Ke'Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates and top prospect Sal Stewart got promoted from Triple-A Louisville, there simply wasn't anywhere for Espinal to play. He tallied just 32 plate appearances after the trade deadline.

Espinal will likely try to find a team where he has a better shot of making the Opening Day roster. He provides a ton of defensive flexibility, having spent time at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field in the 2025 season.