Mets sign infielder Danny Espinosa to a minor league contract

The New York Mets have signed Danny Espinosa to a minor league deal and have invited him to spring training. Espinosa spent last season in the minors with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Espinosa has spent the majority of his career as a second baseman and a shortstop for the Washington Nationals, who selected him in the third round of the 2008 MLB Draft. In parts of seven seasons with the Nationals, he played 779 games and hit .226/.302/.388 with 92 home runs, 60 stolen bases, and an 86 wRC+. He was been particularly prone to the strikeout throughout his career, as he has a career 28.9% strikeout rate and led the league with 189 punch outs in 2012.

Espinosa split the 2017 season with the Los Angeles Angels, the Seattle Mariners, and the Tampa Bay Rays, where he preceded to post a 41 wRC+, a .105 ISO, and a -1.0 fWAR. Espinosa bounced around last year, entering spring training with the New York Yankees but getting cut before the end of March. From there, Espinosa moved on to the Blue Jays, the Dodgers, and the Phillies, and finished the year hitting .229/.291/.356 in 80 minor league games. He closed the season out with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League.

Espinosa will give the Mets some additional minor league middle infield depth and will join guys like T.J. Rivera and Gavin Cecchini who are vying for a spot on the team’s bench. The club will start the season with Robinson Cano and Amed Rosario up the middle, with Jed Lowrie likely patrolling third base and serving as the primary back-up options to both positions. Jeff McNeil will also figure to play a big role both at second and at third base.