Guardians Call Up Pitcher After 4 Lost Seasons to Surgeries

It's been a long and frustrating road for the former first-round pick of the 2019 MLB Draft, but finally, in the ultimate story of perseverance, Daniel Espino is getting the call-up to the big leagues.

The #Guardians are set to call up flamethrowing RHP Daniel Espino for what would be his MLB debut, per @tim_stebbins.

The 2019 first-rounder ranked as high as MLB's No. 16 prospect in 2023 but missed almost all of four seasons ('22-'25) due to injury: https://t.co/N6bmEplWxt pic.twitter.com/FmezkGq1Ki
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 12, 2026

Espino was ranked by MLB Pipeline as high as the 16th best prospect in baseball as recently as 2023, and some considered him at one time the best pitcher on the planet not to be in the majors.

But, 1,241 days, four seasons and two shoulder surgeries later, he's finally on his way to the big leagues. Espino will join the Guardians bullpen on Friday. Even after all that time away from the game, he was still Cleveland's No. 15 prospect coming into this season.

His first consistent run on a baseball mound these past couple of months has been challenging, as he has walked 15 in 18 2/3 innings at Triple-A Columbus with a 5.30 ERA. But he is striking out 14 batters per nine innings.

He's just 25, so the Panamanian right-hander could still find his way to success in the majors.

The Guardians are willing to give him a chance to do just that.