Guardians Executive Provides Update On Daniel Espino

The Cleveland Guardians recently got some good news about one of their best prospects.

Daniel Espino is back on the mound.

The first-round selection from the 2019 MLB Draft had his first action in more than three years, and Guardians assistant general manager Eric Binder updated the plan for the right-hander.

“We’ll be able to control Daniel’s calendar,” Binder said. “Our expectation is that he’ll be pitching every fifth or sixth day in a rotation turn. But his workload has only been built up to one inning or 30 pitches. So he won’t be built up as a starter in the Fall League. We want to get him into the offseason heathy and then reset for next spring training.”

Espino, who once drew comparisons to Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole, hadn’t pitched since April 2022.

Then, chronic injuries led to a nightmare that seemed to doom his career.

It started with a knee condition, followed by shoulder issues.

He missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury, and he had to have surgery again in 2024.

Now, on a pitch limit, he threw two-thirds of an inning with three earned runs, three hits and one strikeout.

The plan is for Espino to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

It will take a while for him to get back on track, but he’s just 24 years old.

There have been major setbacks, and he might not be able to live up to the sky-high expectations the organization once had for him.

But this return is great news, and with his talent and the Guardians’ elite staff, there are reasons to feel encouraged.