Flame-throwing Guardians prospect to make spring start after harrowing injury journey

Tomorrow is a Daniel Espino bump day for the Guardians. If every thing goes according to plan, that could be something that could be a regular occurrence for Cleveland.

After a lengthy injury journey that featured nearly three seasons lost to injury, Espino made his return to the mound last year with the Columbus Clippers and in the Arizona Fall League, and now he's set to make his spring debut tomorrow via a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a split-squad matchup.

Daniel Espino set to make huge spring start for the Guardians

Espino burst onto the scene with the Guardians in 2022 when he racked up 35 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings for Double-A Akron before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely.

That ended up being a harbinger of what was to come, however, as he ended up missing all of the 2023 and '24 seasons due to various shoulder injuries that required surgery.

While he didn't enter camp healthy last season, he was able to successfully attack his rehab during the season and made a single start for the Clippers before the end of the season.

That set up an extremely productive stint in the Arizona Fall League where he threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings and ended up being named to the league's All-Star team.

He never pitched in the Fall Stars game due to his desire to stay healthy, and manager Stephen Vogt told reporters earlier this week that Espino is all set to pitch at full strength tomorrow.

“Daniel is a healthy pitcher,” Vogt said, per Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes. “We’re going to be very deliberate with how we build him up. Our medical and pitching teams are always talking to Daniel."

Vogt also added that the Guardians hadn't decided on what Espino's pitching role could be throughout 2026 while also adding that Espino's health would be the No. 1 factor in any decision made going forward.

Even though Espino came up as a starter and flashed front-line stuff during his time in the minors, there's an argument to be made that the best use of his talents could be in the bullpen.

Not only would that limit his outings to one or two innings, but it would also allow for the Guardians to be a bit more deliberate about when it he pitches compared to being on a starter's set schedule.

When Espino was at his best in 2022, he was using his fastball and slider to make minor league hitters look foolish. Tomorrow's start will mark the first time that Espino will get a chance to go against big league hitters, so it'll be interesting to see if that still carries over.

But no matter what happens, the mere fact he's on the mound is a huge step for him and his chances to make Cleveland's roster.