Timeline for return of Guardians' No. 1 prospect looks incredibly promising
The news out of Arizona has been good in terms of the return of the top prospect in the Guardians organization.
Right-hander Daniel Espino, whose fastball tops out at 103 mph and has a 20-23 inch vertical break, is ranked 14th overall by MLB Pipeline.
Espino, the 24th pick in the first round of the 2019 draft, has been on the shelf since April 29, 2022.
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Initially he had patellar tendinitis in his left knee but was placed on the 60-day injured list March 31 with a strain of his subscapularis and a tear of the anterior capsule in his right shoulder reported back in January.
The move appears to be more precautionary than anything else, according to RubberDucks manager Rouglas Odor.
“If everything goes well, he’ll probably be back here in June or July,” Odor said. “When we broke camp, he was already throwing and playing catch, which was a huge sign. I was happy to hear that.”
Why is there so much hype for the Guardians and Daniel Espino?
Espino, who has a 12-6 curveball, 94 mph slider and 90 mph changeup, has been the talk of the Guardians minor league system for some time now.
Although 2022 was cut to only four starts before the injury happened, he struck out 35 batters in 18⅓ innings and was sporting a 2.45 ERA.
Cleveland has made it a point to bring back the star slowly in part because the Guardians see a bright future for the 22-year old.
When he does come back, the belief is he’ll come back to Akron, where the RubberDucks are atop the Eastern League Southwest Division.
How the Guardians minor league team that gets Daniel Espino would look
If all stays the same he would join Gavin Williams, another 100-mph starting right-hander, to give the Ducks a potentially devastating one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
“It’s another superstar on the team,” Odor said. “We’re hoping he can come back soon and be healthy because you don’t see those arms too often. The Gavin Williamses, who hit the high 90s consistently, it’s rare to see. Just the fact that we have some of those players here, it’s great. We’re excited to have them.
“We’re excited to develop him. He’s a great kid, not just on the field but as a person. I got to meet his brother. He came over last year and was taking care of him in spring training. He’s a family-oriented kid. He’s a great kid all around. When you have those type of personalities on your team it makes it really fun and exciting.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians pitcher Daniel Espino is on schedule for a return this year
