Chase DeLauter narrowly avoids exact injury Guardians fans feared most vs. Dodgers

For the first week of the season, Chase DeLauter showed Guardians fans exactly why the team’s been so high on him since they drafted him in 2022. 

But on Tuesday he showed everyone why it took so long for him to break into the big leagues after he left Cleveland’s loss to the Dodgers in the first inning with a left foot contusion that he sustained after fouling a pitch off the back of that foot in the first inning. 

While it seems like DeLauter avoided a serious injury (his X-rays were negative), it was still a scary sight considering how much he’s struggled with injuries in the past. 

Guardians’ Chase DeLauter seems to have avoided a serious injury 

DeLauter’s injury initially looked like the worst-case scenario, as he was clearly in pain after fouling the pitch off his foot. He eventually left the game a pitch later after being unable to run down the first base line. 

Manager Stephen Vogt has already confirmed that today’s series finale against the Dodgers was going to be an off-day for DeLauter, but he did express some optimism that he could be in the lineup for Friday’s home opener. 

Even if DeLauter is able to make it back in time for that home opener, the injury was a harsh reminder of just how much DeLauter’s injury history is lurking in the background. 

After playing in 57 games in the minors in his organizational debut in 2023, DeLauter only played in 39 games in 2024 due to a turf toe injury and a metatarsal fracture. 

He only managed to make it into 42 games last year thanks in large part to a hamate fracture in his right wrist that he sustained after getting hit by a pitch.

While he was still able to make his big league debut in the postseason, there’s no doubt he would have made that debut earlier in the season if not for that freak injury. He also missed time in the spring with lower body soreness, but he was fine after taking some days off to rest. 

It initially looked like there was a chance his 2026 season could be derailed by another freak injury, but DeLauter didn’t seem too worried after the game. 

“It's just a freak accident,” he said after the game, per MLB.com’s Jacob Gurvis. “Never had that happen before, where I foul a ball off my back foot. But it can happen, I guess.”

Any significant absence from DeLauter would be a huge blow for a Guardians lineup that’s still trying to find its footing. While he didn’t record a hit in any of his five at-bats against the Dodgers, he’s still slashing .273/.304/.818 with an MLB-leading four home runs. 

No other player in the Guardians’ lineup has hit a home run yet this season. 

Although DeLauter only has six MLB regular season games to his name, he’s already become one of the most important players on the team’s roster. Luckily for the Guardians, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be out long.