Cleveland Guardians will be without these three pitchers to start season

The Cleveland Guardians were hammered with a deluge of pitching injuries Thursday. For three of the pitchers named - Daniel Espino, Trevor Stephan, and Gavin Williams - the team will be without them to start the year (and all season in a couple cases), while the fourth - Sam Hentges - isn't expected to miss any time yet.

Still, it's a devastating blow to the team's pitching depth, and the Guardians will have to pivot quickly to even more young arms to get ready for the start of the season.

Sorting Through the Wreckage of Cleveland Guardians Pitching Injuries

Here is what the Guardians are currently looking at, injury-wise:

Daniel Espino: The oft-injured 23-year-old former top prospect for the team has undergone another shoulder surgery - repairing capsule damage and his rotator cuff - and is not expected to pitch during the 2024 season.

Trevor Stephan: The Guardians' setup man is having elbow surgery, with no timetable for his return.

Gavin Williams: This one is a bit more precautionary, but Williams is set to miss the start of the season after experiencing some discomfort in his right elbow. A recent MRI came back clean, but the team isn't taking any chances, and since Williams has now missed a decent chunk of the spring, he'll need to work his way back into shape for the season.

Sam Hentges: The lefty is dealing with some swelling in his finger and is going to get it checked out, but it's not expected to be a serious issue... for now at least.

That caps off a pretty brutal day for Guardians injury news. Pitching injuries have been a big storyline around Major League Baseball this spring, and it seems now that it is Cleveland's turn to deal with them.