Every manager has their favorite player, and for Cincinnati Reds skipper Terry Francona it was Santiago Espinal. But on Friday, Tito had to bid farewell to the struggling infielder after the Reds outrighted Espinal to Triple-A Louisville.
This was always going to be the case. When a veteran player hits a meager .243/.292/.282 with a 58 wRC+, the team is not going to reserve a spot for you on the offseason roster. Despite his struggles, however, Espinal found a way to appear in 114 games for the Reds during the 2025 season but was worth -0.