Guardians Manager Addresses Concerning Inactivity of Prospect Chase DeLauter

Chase DeLauter has shown that he's one of the Cleveland Guardians' most promising bats.

But the talented outfielder has constantly dealt with injuries ever since his college days.

During the 2026 MLB Spring Training window, DeLauter has been able to get limited opportunities at the plate. He's taken advantage of eight at-bats, knocking five hits, two doubles and one home run, good enough for three RBI. Fortunately, he's kept a keen eye as well, not striking out once.

His first stint of inactiveness of 2026 occurred just a few days back on Wednesday, Feb. 25, when he was removed from the lineup against the Texas Rangers due to lower-body soreness.

He wasn't shut down for a long time, returning just a few days later, where he knocked a home run against the Colorado Rockies, but has yet again wound up being ruled day-to-day.

When asked about the health of DeLauter and how the coaching staff is managing it, skipper Stephen Vogt spoke to the concerns the general public has had.

"We've altered the playing time that he maybe normally would have gotten just to make sure that we understand, you know, he's learning how to work," Vogt said. "We're learning how to help Chase feel as close to 100% every day, and, again, we have plenty of time for him to get game action, and so we're going to keep working back in as soon as everybody feels ready for it, which should be soon."

Vogt's comments shouldn't warrant any concern, mainly due to the fact that spring training is the time of year when players are going to be held out for the smallest of issues. After all, the Guardians don't want to push players too hard to where they are banged up before the year even begins.

This situation for DeLauter seems to be more of a precautionary one, rather than one warranting eyebrow raises or breath being held.

Delauter’s Chance to Make the Opening Day Roster

When Vogt was asked about how he's liked DeLauter's growth over the past couple of campaigns and the ability to slowly adapt to the player the top prospect is, Vogt was straightforward.

"Yeah, I mean, like I said, we're learning," he said. "And, you know, starting to understand Chase, you know, we still haven't seen him a whole lot. So, but yeah, it's been good. I liked our process."

The former 16th overall selection in the 2022 MLB June Amateur Draft isn't a player that you can just trot out on the diamond and leave alone.

At this point in his career, he's one you have to closely monitor, but it's worth it. Yes, he's somewhat injury-prone, at least right now, but the opportunity for him to become an everyday major league contributor is completely in the picture.

He has the talent both in the field and at the plate, all while having a great mindset, according to Vogt and the rest of the coaching staff.

If this "injury" situation is actually simply just day-to-day soreness and the coaching staff is playing it safe, he'll likely end up on the major league roster for Opening Day. He may be a designated hitter or start in the outfield.

However, no matter what spot he's thrust into, he's shown that all he needs is the right pitch and he can flip a game on its head.