Daniel Espino is set to make his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians.
It’s been a long time coming for Daniel Espino, but now it’s official: he’s set to make his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians.
There were reports early on Friday morning that the Guardians were set to bring up their first-round pick from the 2019 MLB Draft. Later in the day, Cleveland made the news official with the corresponding roster move.
Espino will take Codi Heuer’s spot on the roster, as the Guardians optioned the right-handed pitcher back down to Triple-A.
There’s a lot to break down looking at this single move.
Starting with Espino, he’s always had the potential to be one of the top arms in baseball, not just on Cleveland’s pitching staff. The right-hander throws a devastating fastball that touches the high 90s, and occasionally into triple digits, too. Combine that with a super-effective slider, cutter, and curveball, Espino has the pitch mix to give any hitter trouble.
Espino’s biggest issue, and what has delayed his big-league debut, has been his health. The 25-year-old has suffered a number of injuries, including multiple shoulder surgeries in 2023 and 2024; he missed the entirety of both of those seasons.
It even took Espino a while to get back on the mound in affiliate ball during the 2025 season. Finally, on September 20th, Espino made an emotional return, throwing two-thirds of an inning with the Columbus Clippers (Triple-A).
Even though the pitcher was drafted and originally started his career with Cleveland’s organization as a starter, Espino has transitioned to a reliever since his injuries. The goal is to limit his workload to keep health the number one priority.
That brings Espino’s promotion to how it’ll impact the Guardians’ roster right now.
Cleveland is in desperate need of some more bullpen help. Their high-leverage arms are being overworked and are starting to show some cracks, especially with how many close games the Guardians have been in over the last few weeks.
Espino does have the potential to fill that void. Yes, he does own a 5.30 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP at Triple-A this season, but Espino also has a strikeout rate of 33.3 percent and a whiff-rate of 40.7 percent.
Whether it’s Friday night against the Detroit Tigers or at some other point over the next few days, once Espino does get into an MLB game for the first time, there’s bound to be a massive applause from the fans, and possibly even Cleveland’s dugout.
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