Santiago Espinal cleared waivers unclaimed and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, keeping him in the Dodgers organization after a brief roster move that had already shifted again. The right-handed infielder is now with Oklahoma City, where the club can keep him available without exposing him to another claim.
The reason his name is back in circulation is simple. The Dodgers designated Espinal for assignment on Monday when Kiké Hernández came off the 60-day injured list, only for Hernández to land back on the injured list two days later with a significant tear in his oblique. Hernández said the turn of events was “frustrating to say the least” and added, “Not just because I missed time, but me coming back got somebody off the roster — those types of things.” He also said he was only able to give the team four at-bats.
That sequence made the roster shuffle look tidy on paper at the time. Espinal and Hernández are both right-handed bats who can handle third base, and the Dodgers viewed the swap as a practical one because Espinal had struggled this year. If another team had wanted him, it would have made sense to trade for him or claim him off waivers. Instead, he stayed put and now sits at Triple-A, where the Dodgers can bring him back as a right-handed bench bat to spell Max Muncy at third base if they decide they need him.
The timing matters because the club’s depth is being tested again almost immediately. Teoscar Hernández strained his hamstring on Wednesday night and is expected to be out for a minimum of three weeks, which is why the Dodgers are calling up top prospect Ryan Ward to replace him. That leaves the organization juggling injuries at the major league level while keeping Espinal close enough to recall if the bench needs another bat.
For Espinal, the immediate outcome is clear enough: he survived waivers, stayed in the Dodgers system and landed at Oklahoma City rather than on the open market. What comes next is less certain, but the path back is there if the Dodgers decide his right-handed bat is worth another look.
