A promising MLB prospect suffered a horrible injury and was shut down after.
Cleveland Guardians prospect Daniel Epsino. the 16th-ranked prospect in MLB and the top prospect for the team, tore his shoulder. The team shut Espino, among the top right-handed pitching prospects, down for the next eight weeks at least. Zack Meisel of The Athletic reported the news of Espino’s injury on Twitter.
The Guardians’ Insider account on Twitter later added more information on Espino’s injury.
They said, “Daniel had not yet reached the mound as part of his build up for the 2023 season when he reported lingering shoulder soreness and swelling after a throwing session in January. After review and counsel from our physician team, results of his diagnostic work-up revealed a strain of his subscapularis and a tear of the anterior capsule of his shoulder.”
It appears that Espino will be reevaluated later on in spring training. Given that he had previously nicked up his shoulder, the likelihood of him being Major League-ready was probably low going into Spring Training. But obviously, this update exacerbates that now, and his timetable gets pushed back.
As if it weren’t enough, Cleveland also took another hit on the prospect front. Chase DeLauter will miss the next 4-5 months after a foot fracture, according to Meisel. DeLauter ranks 82nd on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022