Chase DeLauter’s spring performance has been exactly what Guardians needed

Earlier this spring, Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter gave Guardians fans a scare when he suffered some lower body soreness that raised alarm bells throughout Northeast Ohio. 

And it was easy to see why that’s the case considering every season of DeLauter’s career has been derailed in some form of fashion because of a serious (usually freak) injury. 

But, in a great sign for Guardians fans, DeLauter’s done a great job bouncing back from his most recent injury and has been tearing it up at spring training since. 

Not only is that performance a great sign for DeLauter’s development, but it’s also provided the Guardians with a clear look at just how much DeLauter could help usher in a new era of power from the Guardians’ outfield. 

It’s time for the Guardians to sit Chase DeLauter for the rest of spring training 

So far this spring, DeLauter’s posted a .393/.433/.643 slashline to go along with four doubles, one home run and four RBI. It’s clear that he’s locked in. 

And everything looks great once you look under the hood, as 11 of the 24 balls that he’s put in play have left his bat at 100+ miles per hour. On Tuesday night he hit a 115.3 mph double, marking the hardest-hit ball by any Guardian this spring. 

About 12 hours before that, Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto published a story where he called DeLauter a “complete hitter” who wouldn’t have looked out of place in Cleveland’s vaunted lineups of the 90s. 

Now the most important thing is that he stays healthy for Opening Day, which means it’s time to wrap him in the same bubble wrap that they’re hopefully keeping José Ramírez in. 

DeLauter should be in the Guardians’ Opening Day lineup regardless of whether or not Steven Kwan’s patrolling center field (though it would be a bit easier to do if Kwan is in the center of the grass). 

Earlier this week The Athletic’s Jim Bowden tabbed DeLauter as the Guardians player he’s paying the most attention to at camp, writing that he has a chance to be Cleveland’s second-best hitter behind Ramírez. 

On one hand, it’s a bit frightening that a rookie who has yet to appear in a big league regular season game is being considered as the team’s second-best hitter. 

But on the other hand, it’s an incredibly impressive achievement given how little he’s been able to stay on the field since the Guardians drafted him in 2022. 

The Guardians are beginning to tighten their big league roster so any kind of decision about DeLauter’s short-term MLB future is going to come soon, but it’s getting harder and harder to imagine a world where he starts the 2026 season anywhere but Seattle. 

While he may not be a proven commodity, that’s a great sign for the future of the Guardians’ lineup.