Daniel

Espino

Enright is dealing with a lat strain, and is a candidate to open the year on the 60-day injured list. Espino is one of the most talented young pitchers in baseball, but hasn’t been able to pitch since 2022 because of injuries. DeLauter is one of the top hitting prospects in the Cleveland system and stands a good chance of making his MLB debut before 2025 comes to a close.

The Guardians say he’s on a 16 to 18-month timeline, which would mean he still has roughly five to seven months to go. One of the game’s most talented pitching prospects, Espino last saw game action in April 2022. He’s pitched a total of 134 innings since he was taken in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

It’s yet another brutal blow to one of the best pitching prospects in the minors as Espino has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to persistent shoulder issues. Before getting hurt in 2022, Espino posted a sparkling 2.45 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, and 35/4 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings (four starts) for Double-A Akron. Then just 22 years old, he was seen as a future front-of-the-rotation starter in Cleveland, but his development will now be stalled by yet another missed season. At this point it’s fair to wonder if his career will ever get back on track.

Espino looked like the best pitching prospect in baseball back a few years ago before undergoing major shoulder surgery, which has effectively derailed his career. The hope is that the stuff will bounce back once he’s cleared to return to minor league action, but the track record for pitchers coming off shoulder surgery is more checkered than virtually any other procedure.

Even though Espino missed all of 2023 due to shoulder surgery and will be absent for at least a chunk of next season, the Guardians really had no choice but to put him on the 40-man; he’s about as talented as any pitcher in the minors. It’s doubtful he’ll see the majors before 2025.

One of the game’s most talented young arms, Espino has unfortunately been limited to four starts last year and none this year by shoulder problems. Hopefully, this will get him over the hump, but it probably means he’s not going to help the Guardians before 2025.

Ugh. Espino was beginning to ramp back up but felt renewed soreness in his shoulder. Instead of starting the recovery process again, he will meet with team doctors on May 1. Espino was regarded as one of the top pitching prospects but has been limited to 18 1/3 innings over the past two seasons. This development surely squashes any hope that the 22-year-old would make his big league debut during the 2023 season.

Espino is universally-regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball after posting a sparkling 2.45 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 35/4 K/BB ratio across 18 1/3 innings (four starts) last year for Double-A Akron. The 22-year-old righty misses a ton of bats, thanks to an elite fastball/slider combo, and has significant fantasy upside. This development likely pushes his potential big league debut until the later stages of the 2023 season, if at all.

Espino, 20, allowed just one hit, and he walked three to go along with the eight punchouts. Drafted with the 24th pick of the 2019 draft, Espino has been outstanding in his eight starts for the Hillcats; registering a 2.10 ERA and 48/17 K/BB ratio over 34 1/3 frames. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander has a fastball that has been clocked in the triple digits, but he also has a plus cutter/slider and an above-average curve, as well. Add in a solid change, and there’s no doubt Espino has the stuff to start. There are questions about the command, however, but Cleveland has one of the best player-development systems in baseball. He could pitch at or near the top of a rotation someday, but it’s fair to say there’s quite a bit of volatility in Espino’s profile.

Espino didn’t allow a hit and issued just a single walk. The Indians selected the 18-year-old with the 24th pick this June, and he’s done a nice job in his first taste of professional baseball -- in a small sample size, however -- with a 0.90 ERA and 14/14 K/BB ratio in 10 innings. There are three pitches here that can miss bats, starting with a high 90s fastball and often finishing with an above-average cutter/slider or curve. Command is an issue, but if Espino can keep throwing strikes, he has a tremendous ceiling. You just have to be cognisant of a pretty low floor.