Consensus top-25 prospect dealing with concerning shoulder setback

It was just over two months ago that the Guardians announced that top pitching prospect Daniel Espino was being shut down for roughly eight weeks due to a pair of injuries (a subscapularis strain and an anterior capsule tear) in his right shoulder.  With the shutdown period completed, Espino had been slowly working his way back toward the minor league diamond, but The Athletic’s Zack Meisel reports that Espino has now been shut down again due to continued inflammation and soreness in the shoulder.

Espino is scheduled to visit a doctor to determine his next course of action, which could be an ominous sign ahead of a substantially longer layoff.  Any real surgery could theoretically sideline Espino for the remainder of the 2023 season, though a large-scale procedure might also shed some light on the shoulder problems that have plagued the star prospect for two years.  Espino pitched in only four games for Double-A Akron in 2022 due to both shoulder issues and knee tendinitis.

Cleveland originally selected Espino with the 24th overall pick of the 2019 draft and there were plenty of early indications that the right-hander had the talent to develop into the latest prized arm to come out of the Guardians’ farm system.  Espino has a whopping 40.85 percent strikeout rate over his 133 2/3 minor league innings, even if his 9.8 percent walk rate and 3.57 ERA are more on the modest side.

Though he barely pitched in 2022, Espino was still a consensus top-25 prospect in preseason rankings from MLB Pipeline (who rated Espino 16th), Baseball America (19th), and Baseball Prospectus (25th).  Both Pipeline and BA give his fastball a perfect 80 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale, due to its excellent movement, ride and a velocity that can top 100mph.  Espino’s 70-grade slider is almost as deadly and he is able to generate low-90’s velocity on that secondary pitch.

With a healthy and productive season, Espino surely would’ve found himself promoted to Triple-A in 2023 and then perhaps to the majors at some point.  While the Guardians are not lacking for pitching depth, the team has been willing to be aggressive with certain prospects if they are gauged ready for MLB competition. Espino might have been such a special case.  Now, it seems like all player and organization can hope for is that the 22-year-old can get back onto a mound in any relatively short amount of time.