Guardians prospect Daniel Espino set for first game action since 2022
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One-time Guardians top pitching prospect Daniel Espino's career has been impacted by injury setbacks, including multiple right shoulder surgeries. But the 24-year-old is set to complete a remarkable comeback this weekend in his journey defined by incredible perseverance.
Espino, who is ranked as the Guardians’ No. 29 prospect by MLB Pipeline, will open Triple-A Columbus’ game against Omaha on Saturday at Huntington Park. It will mark the right-hander’s first appearance since April 29, 2022, when he was with Double-A Akron.
The outing, which will come in Columbus’ penultimate game of the season, figures to serve as a launching point for Espino -- who is among eight Guardians prospects slated to play in the Arizona Fall League, which begins on Oct. 6.
Espino was ranked as the Guardians’ No. 2 prospect and No. 53 overall entering the 2022 season. Armed with a four-seam fastball that touched 103 mph, the 2019 first-round Draft pick opened that campaign with Akron, but he was limited to four starts (none after April) due to right patellar tendinitis and a right shoulder injury.
Espino experienced right shoulder soreness in Spring Training 2023, which led to him undergoing surgery that May. Cleveland added him to its 40-man roster in November 2023, but he underwent a second right shoulder surgery in Spring Training ‘24, to repair his capsule and rotator cuff.
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“He's just a tremendous human being,” Guardians VP of player development Stephen Osterer said recently of Espino’s perseverance. “It's been challenging, no doubt, but he's taken every single obstacle and road bump really well, and just puts his head down and focuses on the day to day.”
Espino spent the bulk of 2025 building up and throwing at the Guardians’ player development complex in Goodyear, Ariz., and he recently transitioned to Columbus in a continuation in his progression. Espino’s stint in the AFL could include a mix of pitching in games while continuing to train at Cleveland’s complex.
Before injuries sidetracked him, Espino was one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in baseball. Along with his heater, which sat 95-98 mph, his arsenal featured a mid-80s mph power slider. His potential with that devastating mix was evident the last time he pitched in affiliated ball.
The 2022 season marked Espino’s first stint in Double-A, and over four starts, he recorded a 2.45 ERA and struck out 35 hitters with just four walks over 18 1/3 innings. That included a 14-strikeout performance on April 23.