CLEVELAND, Ohio — Chase DeLauter has been promoted from the Guardians’ Arizona Complex League Team to Triple-A Columbus.
Cleveland’s first-round pick (16th overall) in 2022 is expected to join Columbus in a few days.
Hitting has never been a problem for DeLauter. Staying healthy has.
He was a spring training invitee to big league camp in February, but in March underwent surgery for a sports hernia. He finally returned to action in the ACL, hitting .182 (4 for 22) with two homers and three RBI in eight games before the Guardians promoted him to Columbus.
In the spring of 2024, the left-handed hitting DeLauter batted .520 (13 for 25) with four homers and 10 RBI in 13 Cactus League games.
DeLauter, the No. 2 prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, opened last year at Double-A Akron before being slowed by a series of foot injuries that sent him to the IL twice and limited him to 30 games with Akron.
Foot injuries have hounded DeLauter since his college days at James Madison University.
He was promoted to Columbus, at the end of last season and hit .304 (7 for 23) with two homers and seven RBI, before a right hamstring injury stopped him.
DeLauter came back to play in two Class AAA postseason games and participated in the Arizona Fall League for the second straight year.
Under the Guardians’ orders, DeLauter DH’d twice a week in the AFL, while spending the rest of his time at the team’s training site in Goodyear, Arizona, working on his body and conditioning to help him avoid injury. He hit .340 (16 for 47) with five doubles, one homer and 11 RBI in the AFL.
DeLauter, 23, can play all three outfield positions. The question is can he stay healthy enough to help the Guardians’ questionable offense at some point this season?