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Espinoza struck out three batters and allowed one hit over two innings in an appearance with High-A Fort Wayne on Thursday. It was Espinoza's first regular-season game appearance since 2016.
It has been a long journey back to pitching for the right-hander, whose career has been derailed by a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Espinoza made one appearance with the Padres in spring training this season before being sent to the minors. He threw 26 pitches Thursday in his Fort Wayne debut and collected half of his outs via strikeout. Espinoza is still only 23 years old and was once a highly regarded prospect, so the opportunity for a successful big-league career remains ahead of him.
