Espinal had been hitting second regularly since replace Matt McLain in that spot last month, but it seems to be over now. He’d hit just .183/.238/.225 in 76 plate appearances since the switch. The Reds have Gavin Lux batting second and Tyler Stephenson hitting cleanup tonight.

Espinal is a tough guy to downgrade from, but the Reds found a way. The utilityman had started 24 straight games since the second game of a doubleheader on Apr. 30. The first four of those saw him go 9-for-15 with five RBI. The last 20 saw him go 14-for-77 with two RBI. He’s hit .191/.255/.213 in 12 games since the Reds moved up him to the second spot in the lineup.

Espinal is hitting .125 (2-for-16) in four games since being moved to the second spot in Cincinnati’s lineup earlier this week. Amazingly, he hasn’t struck out or waked during that span. The 30-year-old veteran has had a nice year overall, but he’s not the prototypical modern-era top-of-the-order prototype. It would be surprising if the Reds don’t give Matt McLain another look in the near future, especially if Espinal isn’t producing.

The 27-year-old utilityman has made one start in right field already this season, now he’ll shift over and cover the other corner. Jake Fraley finds himself on the bench with left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. toeing the slab for the Brewers. Espinal is off to a slow start at the plate this season, hitting .200 (2-for-10) with zero runs scored or RBI.