Dodgers Keep Santiago Espinal After Waiver Twist

Santiago Espinal clears waivers and stays with the Dodgers at Triple-A, keeping him in play as roster injuries reshape the bench picture.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 13: Santiago Espinal #21 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with teammate Teoscar Hernández #37 after hitting a home run during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA—Earlier this week, it looked like the Dodgers were waving goodbye to Cactus League surprise Santiago Espinal as they made room for the returning Kiké Hernández. But baseball never sticks to the script.

After being DFA’d on Monday, Espinal has offically cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City per the Dodgers transaction page.

The move is significant as both Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández ended up on the injured list just days after the roster crunch, and Espinal’s role on the 26-man roster could be brought up again.

It wouldn’t have been surprising to see a team step in and trade for Espinal — a little cash for a former top prospect is an easy gamble to make. Even more likely, someone could have simply claimed him off waivers and added him for free.

But that didn’t happen.

Espinal passed through waivers untouched, a quiet but massive win for the Dodgers. Instead of losing him for nothing, they now retain a versatile depth piece in the organization.

He’s currently stationed at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but the door is wide open for a return. If the Dodgers decide they want a right-handed bench bat who can give Max Muncy some relief at third base, Espinal is now just a call away — though they would need to re-add him to the 40-man roster to make it happen.

Espinal, 31, appeared in 26 games for the Dodgers this season, hitting .220 (9-for-41) with one homer, four RBIs and a .604 OPS. Over his seven-year MLB career with the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, and Toronto Blue Jays, he’s played in 604 games and holds a .260 average with 21 home runs, 164 RBIs, and a .663 OPS.

With a slumping Hyeseong Kim and inexperienced Ryan Ward, the Dodgers could opt to go back to Plan A and have Alex Freeland and Espinal as the Dodgers’ swingmen on the bench.