Espino has shoulder surgery, expected to miss '24 season

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Once again, Guardians pitching prospect Daniel Espino has undergone surgery.

On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed yet another surgery on Espino’s right shoulder -- this time to repair an injury to the shoulder capsule and rotator cuff. He’s not expected to pitch in 2024.

“It's heartbreaking in a lot of ways,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “There is not a person that could do any more than Daniel has and every time he's faced an obstacle, he commits fully to the rehab process. He goes above and beyond everything that our athletic training staff or strength coach asks, and he does all of that while continuing to be an extraordinary teammate.

“I just feel for Daniel that he’s going to have another lengthy rehab in front of him.”

It’s been an endless road to recovery for Espino, who first was sidelined at the start of May 2022. First it was tendinitis in his knee. As he tried to ramp back up, he had shoulder soreness, which led to surgery on the area over that offseason. He missed the entire 2023 season and came into camp this year ready to get back on the mound. Instead, he’s adding a second surgery to this ever-growing list.

This has to be a gut punch to Espino. We know it is for the organization. But the 23-year-old, hard-throwing righty who used to be atop the MLB Pipeline prospects list for the Guardians is about to miss his second consecutive full season due to a nagging problem. This was a guy who made big leaguers stop in their tracks to watch his live batting practice sessions during Minor League Spring Training. His fastball is elite, sitting at 95-98 mph and topping out at 103 mph. He has good feel for his above-average slider. His curveball and changeup had been improving, too.

This was a hurler ready to be an ace in the Majors. Now, the future is even more uncertain than it was last year. Espino came into camp with a simple goal: Pitch in at least one game this year. Suddenly, that’s unattainable.

Espino's attitude was upbeat. He talked about leaning on his family to help him through this process. He credited the injury to learning more about his diet and getting himself in better shape for the season. Espino never questioned if he’d be the same pitcher he was at the start of 2022. But it’s hard to imagine doubt not creeping up on him at this point.

Espino is expected to return to Goodyear, Ariz., to begin yet another post-operative rehab program. The Guardians are in the very early stages of figuring out what the long-term picture looks like. No timetable has been set just yet.

But Espino had an inspiring outlook on all of this just a few weeks ago, before he got the most recent devastating news. It’s a mantra he’s going to have to lean on even more now.

“I’m a believer and I know that God has something prepared for me,” Espino said at the beginning of camp. “He’s not gonna put something in front of me that I’m not gonna be able to handle.”

The organization believes in him, too.

“If there's anyone they can overcome this, it's Daniel,” Antonetti said. “I put my money on him.”