It didn’t take long for Chase DeLauter to remind Guardians fans just how valuable he is

For two weeks, the Guardians lineup had to adjust to life without Chase DeLauter. Normally that kind of statement is reserved for a veteran with years of MLB experience under his belt. But, in the case of DeLauter, it was a player who had 65 MLB games under his belt before going on the injured list. 

And DeLauter wasted no time making an impact in his return on Sunday with a game-tying single in the eighth inning against the Mariners before coming around to score a vital insurance run on Rhys Hoskins’ eighth inning double. 

Chase DeLauter is one of the most important hitters in the Guardians' roster

While DeLauter hasn’t been on the same level that he was earlier this year when he smashed four home runs in five games in Cleveland's season-opening series against the Mariners, he’s still been a steady presence in the middle of Clevleand’s lineup. 

That presence was on full display with his game-tying hit, which left his bat at 106.5 miles per hour and was placed perfectly right up the middle. He followed that up by putting his body on the line on Hoskins' double by colliding with Mariners catcher Mitch Garver on his “slide.” 

“It was just great to see him back,” manager Stephen Vogt told reporters after the win. “Obviously, we've missed Chase, just like the other guys. For him to come up in that clutch moment was pretty cool. It looked like he hadn't missed a beat.”

Although DeLauter had been hitting at the No. 2 spot in the lineup prior to getting hurt, he was hitting cleanup on Sunday thanks in part to the Guardians’ injuries. 

In the time since the Guardians lost DeLauter, Angel Martínez and José Ramírez to the injured list in the same game, the Guardians have recalled Cooper Ingle and Kahlil Watson and been forced to shuffle players up and down their roster. 

But adding DeLauter allowed for the Guardians to move Brayan Rocchio down in the lineup while also providing some extra insurance for Travis Bazzana, Ingle, Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins. 

DeLauter’s return doesn’t fix everything, however. While he made his return, Martínez and Ramírez aren’t expected back until the end of July, so Vogt’s still going to need to do some mixing-and-matching in the near-future. 

Even if DeLauter hasn’t been producing the same kind of power numbers as either of his injured compatriots, he’s in the 89th percentile or better in strikeout rate, whiff rate and chase rate, so he's still putting up good at-bats even if he isn't getting on base.

Earlier this year, the Guardians opened their season by splitting their series against the Mariners thanks to DeLauter’s homers. On Monday, he helped them win their season series over Seattle with a clutch single. 

DeLauter hasn’t been with the Guardians long, but those moments show just how important he’s been for Cleveland in that short time. 

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