DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Blue Jays started to solve their infield puzzle on Wednesday, trading Santiago Espinal to the Reds for right-handed Minor Leaguer Chris McElvain.

Espinal, 29, became the subject of trade rumors early this year, especially as Toronto brought in veterans such as Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Joey Votto and Daniel Vogelbach to add to an already-crowded group that also includes Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement and Cavan Biggio as utility options in the infield.

The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for competing guys like Votto and Vogelbach, or for another catcher as Danny Jansen recovers from a fractured right middle finger.

An All-Star in 2022, Espinal saw his playing time diminish last season, and he was mostly utilized in a platoon role at second base. He landed on the Blue Jays as a Minor Leaguer in ‘18, traded from the Red Sox for Steve Pearce, and earned a big league promotion in ‘20. Over four seasons with Toronto, Espinal batted .273 with a .698 OPS, 11 homers and 99 RBIs, but his numbers took a significant step back last season.

The Blue Jays tendered Espinal a $2.725 million contract this offseason.

The 23-year-old McElvain pitched at Single-A Daytona and High-A Dayton in the Reds’ system last year, posting a combined 3.75 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.

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