Daniel Espino Fantasy Stats

The Cleveland Guardians are set to call up flamethrowing right-handed pitching prospect Daniel Espino on Friday for what will be his major-league debut, according to MLB.com's Tim Stebbins. The 2019 first-rounder ranked as high as MLB's No. 16 prospect in 2023 but missed almost all of four seasons from 2022 through 2025 due to injury. Espino, 25, is currently ranked as the Guardians' No. 15 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The former 24th overall selection in 2019 gets his first major-league call-up after posting a 5.30 ERA and 1.71 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 18 2/3 innings over his 22 appearances (one start) at Triple-A Columbus this year. Espino's MLB debut has been delayed due to multiple shoulder surgeries, and he's now being used as a full-time reliever. He hasn't exactly been pitching all that well before his big-league debut, so expect Cleveland to use him in more low-leverage situations out of the 'pen initially. Don't be surprised if it's a short stay for the 6-foot, 225-pounder. The native of Panama has a high-90s heater and a devastating slider that give him some interesting long-term potential as a high-leverage bullpen arm.

Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) made his long-awaited return to the mound on Saturday at Triple-A Columbus. The Guardians' 29th-ranked prospect, who was the team's top-ranked pitching prospect back in 2022, has been working his way back from various arm injuries, including shoulder surgery this past March. The 24-year-old faced five batters in 2/3 of an inning pitched on Saturday, yielding three earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out one. Pitching in regular-season game action for the first time since 2022 was a victory in itself, and from here, the former first-round draft pick will head to the Arizona Fall League to compete with some of the game's top prospects to make up for lost time and prepare for 2026. With a fastball that has touched 103 mph, he could debut in the majors next season, and fantasy managers should be on the lookout, as he was once touted as a future frontline starter.

Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter (wrist) is headed to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) this October. He'll be joined by seven other Guardians prospects, including one of the team's former top-ranked prospects, pitcher Daniel Espino. DeLauter has endured a multitude of injuries during his time in the minors, having never played in more than 57 games in any of the last three seasons, and has been on the shelf since mid-July with a wrist injury. Espino (shoulder) has had similar injury issues as well, having not been able to take the mound since early 2022. The AFL will help both players make up for lost time and help prepare for the 2026 season. Both have a chance to be in the majors next year, with DeLauter potentially able to make the team out of spring training.

Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) has increased his throwing distance to 120 feet. However, the team noted that Espino would not be able to return to game action until late in the 2025 season if he continues to progress at this rate. The 24-year-old underwent two shoulder operations over the past two years and still has a long recovery process ahead. Espino has not appeared in a minor league contest since the 2022 campaign. During that campaign, he logged 18 1/3 innings at Double-A and held a strong 2.45 ERA with a stellar 0.71 WHIP. He tallied 35 punchouts and only served up four free passes. In 2021, Espino logged 91 2/3 innings with Single and High-A and posted a 3.73 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP and 152 punchouts. When he is cleared, he will likely return to Double-A Akron.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Daniel Espino (shoulder) is now 11 months removed from surgery, but still has a long way to go before getting back on the mound. The organization said that Espino is on a 16-to-18 month timeline. That means, Espino still has at least five months left of recovery time before he could possibly pitch again. The last time Espino took the mound was for four starts at the Double-A level in 2022. At the moment, it seems unlikely that Espino is going to make a significant contribution at all during the 2025 season. The 24-year-old is a former first-round pick of Cleveland from the 2019 draft. Despite the injuries, Espino still has a bright future once he's able to fully recover from the shoulder issue.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Sam Hentges (shoulder) and Daniel Espino (shoulder) both continue to progress from their shoulder surgeries in spring training. Hentges is five months post right-shoulder anterior capsule repair and is likely to begin a return-to-throw progression in March. The timeline for a full recovery from his surgery is typically 12 to 14 months. Meanwhile, Espino is 11 months post right-shoulder anterior capsule revision repair. The Guardians are planning for Espino to return to game activity int he 16- to 18-month range post-operative. Hentges is expected to miss the entire 2025 season, but it's possible that Espino will be ready to go at some point in the second half this year. Espino is recovering from a second surgery on his right shoulder and has already missed the last two seasons in the minors.

Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) has undergone a second right-shoulder surgery to repair an injured shoulder capsule and rotator cuff and will miss his second straight season. The right-hander underwent shoulder surgery last May and was scheduled to miss 12-14 months at the time but he will now be out far longer than that as he could very well miss a portion of the 2025 season, as well. The 23-year-old was drafted in the first round by the Guardians in 2019 but has missed significant time in his minor-league career, logging just 18 1/3 innings of 2.45 ERA ball in just four starts at Double-A in 2022 before shoulder issues set in. Espino's long-term fantasy value has major question marks after two significant shoulder injuries before his 24th birthday.

Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) underwent right-shoulder surgery (anterior capsule repair) and is expected to miss 12 to 14 months. He's widely considered one of the league's top pitching prospects, but he hasn't pitched since April 22 due to his injury. Per MLB Pipeline, Espino is Cleveland's top prospect, but he has thrown only 18 1/3 innings since the start of last year because of injuries. The 22-year-old will now miss the rest of 2023 and probably won't be able to continue his development in the minor leagues until the middle of the 2024 campaign. It's a pretty big blow to any fantasy managers that have been stashing Espino in dynasty/keeper formats.

Cleveland Guardians top pitching prospect Daniel Espino (shoulder) will be shut down for at least eight weeks due to a strain/tear in his shoulder. Meanwhile, last year's first-rounder Chase Delauter (foot) will miss four to five months with a fracture in his foot, which is the same injury he dealt with last year. Espino also missed considerable time in 2022 with a shoulder injury, so the Guardians have to be pretty concerned with their top prospect. The 22-year-old will likely be ticketed for Double-A Akron when he's deemed healthy enough to return to game action. Delauter, a 21-year-old outfielder, had surgery on Jan. 10 after breaking the same foot last spring. Like Espino, it's a knock on Delauter's long-term outlook, but he's still young and has time to remove the injury-prone label from his name.

Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino, listed second among Guardians prospects on MLB Pipeline's latest rankings, went wild this past week. The former first-round selection pitched against the Bowie BaySox, striking out 14 batters through five innings. That's right: of the 15 batters he retired, all but one were sent down on strikes. He's averaging a whopping 2.27 K/IP rate and continues to mow down batters who have tried to challenge him. Espino's best pitch is his fastball, which maxes out around 101 mph. He also has a slider that moves vertically and horizontally, leaving him unpredictable to hitters and much more challenging to hit. Even at 21 years old, he has proven that he has the repertoire and stuff needed to succeed at a higher level of play. Espino might have a chance to sneak onto the Guardians' roster as a late-season call-up by the end of the year. Regardless, whenever he does debut, Espino will be a must-add thanks to his unhittability.