Recovering Reds infielder could make Santiago Espinal’s role disappear

The Cincinnati Reds may have their young core firmly in place, but that doesn’t mean the roster is immune to change. As the front office looks ahead to 2026, tough decisions loom. The team will need to balance a wave of incoming talent from one of baseball’s deepest farm systems with the realities of maximizing their current major league roster. And in the middle of that balancing act lies a player whose role may no longer be guaranteed: Santiago Espinal.

One reason for that could be the return of Tyler Callihan at the beginning of next season. Callihan’s 2025 season was derailed before it even had a chance to really begin. After just four games at the Major League level, the versatile infielder crashed into an outfield wall in May and suffered a fractured left forearm. The initial surgery was only the beginning — complications with his wrist required another procedure in July, shutting him down for the remainder of the year.

It was a brutal blow for both Callihan and the Reds, who had been eager to see what the 24-year-old could offer. The silver lining, though, is that he’s expected to enter spring training fully healthy in 2026.

Santiago Espinal may be the odd man out when the Reds get healthy

That timeline directly overlaps with Espinal’s tenuous standing on the roster. The veteran utility man has been relied upon for his glove, but the bat has been nonexistent. Across 327 plate appearances in 112 games this season, Espinal has slashed an uninspiring .243/.293/.283 with no home runs and just 16 RBIs.

Defensive flexibility has always been Espinal's calling card, but advanced metrics paint a less flattering picture. His -1.3 WAR suggests that even those intangibles aren’t outweighing the offensive struggles.

The Reds have to ask themselves if Espinal’s production is enough to justify regular playing time on a team built to contend. With just one year of arbitration left before free agency, he profiles more as a potential trade chip for a club seeking a low-cost utility option than a long-term piece in Cincinnati.

That picture shifts if Callihan returns healthy and shows he can hold his own at the plate while offering defensive versatility across the infield. Add in Spencer Steer’s steady presence — 17 home runs, 64 RBI, and a .237/.308/.396 slash line while bouncing around the diamond, and the path forward for Espinal becomes increasingly narrow.

This isn’t to say the Reds would simply discard a player with Espinal’s experience. Depth matters, especially in a marathon season, and he does bring a veteran steadiness to the clubhouse. But for a franchise looking to move from “up-and-coming” to “playoff mainstay,” every roster spot carries weight. If Callihan is healthy and producing, Espinal could find himself reduced to a part-time role at best — or wearing another uniform entirely.

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