Ex-Blue Jay Santiago Espinal receives well deserved ovation in Rogers Centre return

When it comes to the amount of effort and dedication that you put into the work that you do, people would often take notice of it. Similarly, if you made a mark during your time with an MLB organization, there’s no doubt that the fans would be truly appreciative of everything that was achieved. That has been exactly the case for former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal.

On Monday night, Espinal made his return to Rogers Centre as the Cincinnati Reds were visiting the Jays for a three-game series. During the third inning, when he came to the plate for his first at-bat against his former club, this is what happened:

Espinal received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Rogers Centre crowd in true appreciation of his time that he had with the Jays. They did not forget the hard work that he put into his game day-in and day-out, along with his stellar defensive work in the infield that he put on full display whenever he got his chance to play.

Looking back, Espinal had spent five seasons with the Jays since coming over in the trade that sent Steve Pearce to the Boston Red Sox. Over 346 games, he batted a solid .273 with a .698 OPS, 123 runs scored, 56 doubles, 11 home runs and 99 RBI. The highlight of his time with Toronto was his breakout All-Star season that he had back in 2022.

However, Espinal became a victim of the numbers game in 2023 when he eventually had to share playing time with the likes of Whit Merrifield and Cavan Biggio. His overall offensive numbers ultimately suffered as he ended up having his worst season of his career. With those struggles, together with the offseason signing of utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa, it eventually spelt the end of Espinal’s tenure with the Jays as he was traded to the Reds.

He may have moved on already to another club. But given the huge ovation that he received on Monday night, it appears as though he will never be forgotten in the hearts of Jays’ fans.