Amidst the bizarre absence of Ketel Marte, the Arizona Diamondbacks had no choice but to bolster their infield depth.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are still waiting on the fate of Ketel Marte in a situation that can only be described as bizarre.
Marte's absence hasn't been excused by the team, and it's been a few days now since he's been in the lineup.
Clearly, this team is looking ahead to the future, and that's where Santiago Espinal comes in.
Espinal, 31, was an All-Star back in 2022. While it's been years since his "prime," so to speak, the Dominican Republic native posted solid numbers with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
While there's no immediate room for him on the Diamondbacks’ big-league roster, the team is willing to take a chance on him, as seen by the minor league contract he was awarded.
Espinal will report to Triple-A Reno
Espinal is a versatile infielder who's played first, second, and third base this season alone. He's primarily a third baseman, but that doesn't mean the D-backs couldn't move him around to wherever is necessary.
In the midst of trying to be a Wild Card team, Espinal could come into the organization and give Arizona the boost they've desperately been looking for.
It's not like they're slumping or carry a record that isn't postseason-worthy — far from it — but all of the noise is currently around Marte, and that's the last thing this team needs to focus on.
As previously mentioned, Espinal began his 2026 campaign with the back-to-back World Series champions. He slashed .268/.276/.375 in his 56 at-bats with a .651 OPS, a number that is his highest since the aforementioned 2022 All-Star season.
Four years ago, Espinal slashed .267/.322/.370 with an OPS of .692. He posted a 2.5 WAR in 2021, a year he arguably should've been an All-Star as well, with that number falling to 2.2 in 2022.
He may only have a 0.1 WAR this season, but it comes in such a small sample size that it's something that should be taken with a grain of salt.
Espinal, should he end up playing for the Diamondbacks, is a guy who could bring 167 career RBIs to the table. He's been in the big leagues since 2020 and is eyeing an at-bat for his fourth team in the last four years.
Something else to monitor is the fact that he stole 11 bases back in 2024, though he's swiped just two bags since then. At the end of the day, it would be extremely interesting to see what role Espinal gets on this team, if they ever truly end up taking a chance on him.
