The Guardians need to have Chase DeLauter on their 2026 Opening Day roster

On Oct. 1, Chase DeLauter finally picked his career MLB hit. It was a long time coming for the 24-year-old former first round pick, who has had the first part of his career derailed by a variety of injuries. 

But, after becoming the sixth player in MLB history to make his debut during the postseason, DeLauter has a clear path to make the Guardians’ Opening Day roster. And the front office should do everything in its power to give him that opportunity. 

It’s easy to see how DeLauter can help the Guardians. After not getting any production from their outfield last season, the Guardians haven’t added any external outfielders to their major league roster and subtracted one player from that equation by designating Jhonkensy Noel for assignment. 

It’s clear the Guardians’ decision makers trust DeLauter, otherwise they wouldn’t have called him up for the postseason. But it still remains to be seen if they’ll give him a legitimate shot to make the roster out of spring training. 

The Guardians need to turn the outfield over to Chase DeLauter

Both DeLauter and George Valera made their debuts last season and were in the Guardians’ lineup during the postseason, but hardly a guarantee that either (or both) of them will be on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster. 

In a perfect world, Valera would be manning center field and DeLauter would be next to him in right when the Guardians open their season against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 26. But it may not be that easy. 

Along with having Nolan Jones back in the fold, the Guardians also have Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martínez as options in the outfield alongside Petey Halpin, Johnathan Rodríguez and C.J. Kayfus, who saw some time in right field last season. 

While Jones hit just .211 in 136 games in his return to the Guardians in 2025, the normally frugal front office tendered him a $2 million contract, which makes it seem like he’s going to be a big part of the team’s 2026 plans. 

The same can be said for Johnathan Rodríguez, who has struggled in his first taste of MLB action but is the only right-handed hitting outfielder on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, so you almost have to pencil him in for a roster spot at this point. 

The Guardians also brought in Stuart Fairchild on a minor league contract, but he’s on a minor league contract so he’ll have an uphill battle to make the roster. 

Earlier this week a report came out that the Guardians were interested in adding to their outfield so long as the addition didn’t come at the expense of DeLauter’s playing time, but the team should go a step further than that. 

DeLauter has hit .302 across 138 career minor league games, but he’s also struggled with numerous injuries, which is part of the reason why his 2025 debut came in the postseason and not in the middle of the season. 

But even with that checker injury past, DeLauter’s earned a chance to play every day in 2026.