Padres' Espinoza finally returns after 2 Tommy John surgeries

There was a time when Anderson Espinoza was considered a can't-miss prospect in the San Diego Padres' rebuild. Now, the right-hander is making his way back from two Tommy John surgeries that have sidelined him since 2016.

The 23-year-old became the Padres' No. 1 prospect in 2016, according to MLB Pipeline, after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox for Drew Pomeranz. That trade infamously led to Padres general manager A.J. Preller earning a 30-day suspension for not divulging all relevant medical information.

Espinoza opened the 2017 season on the injured list with elbow soreness and required his first Tommy John that summer. He was diagnosed with another elbow injury prior to the 2019 campaign and required a second surgery to reconstruct his ulnar collateral ligament.

Now, more than four years after the original trade, Espinoza posted a clean seventh inning Thursday against the Oakland Athletics.

Espinoza started off by getting Frank Schwindel to fly out then gave up a double to Austin Allen. Espinoza retired both Vimael Machin and Pete Kozma via groundout.

In 2016, Espinoza posted a 4.49 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 108 1/3 innings between Boston's and San Diego's A-ball affiliates.