Guardians' Daniel Espino Reaches Major Post-Injury Milestone

Daniel Esino was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians back in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He immediately became one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, but has never thrown an inning in big league Spring Training camp, that is, until Saturday.

In what Espino called a milestone in his recovery, he started for the Guardians in their Cactus League matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The right-hander only threw nine pitches in one inning, but it was the buildup and work over the last few years that went into those pitches that meant so much to him. 

Espino has missed significant time over the last several seasons due to a variety of injuries, including two major shoulder injuries. He finally made his way back to affiliate ball last September, but before that, he hadn’t thrown a pitch in the Minor Leagues since 2022.

There’s no question about the pitcher Espino can be when he’s healthy, though. Before the surgeries, he consistently threw in the triple-digits with a devastating slider to pair with it. In Sunday’s outing against the D-Backs, Espino’s fastball topped out at 98.0 mph. 

Espino admitted that he was, of course, excited about being back on the mound, but the rest of the organization might have been even more thrilled to see the 25-year-old finally back pitching again. 

“I think everyone is just thrilled Daniel is pitching in a Major League Spring Training game,” said Stephen Vogt on Sunday morning.

“It’s been a long road for him to get to this point, and he’s been an unbelievable person, teammate, and kept his attitude far better than any of us would have having gone through what he’s gone through.”

Looking ahead, the most important piece of Espino’s future is that, for the first time in a long time, he’s healthy and believes that where he’s at physically is just the beginning.

“I'm really happy with it, and I think that this is only the beginning for me as far as like building up and, then getting back into competition,” continued Espino. “To be honest, it just, it just, it feels good, and it gives me more confidence to continue this journey.”

Espino’s baseball career hasn’t gone as he’d hoped up to this point, but his start on Saturday proves he still has more left in the tank and is determined to make his MLB debut at some point in the future

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.