The Cleveland Guardians desperately need multiple offensive players to step up in 2026 if they plan on three-peating as AL Central champs. Cleveland had arguably the worst offense in baseball last season and posted a .226 team batting average with only two players hitting more than 14 home runs, so the door is wide open for anybody to walk through it and start raking to help this lineup.
One of the first guys through that door could be prospect Chase DeLauter, who debuted for the Guardians in the AL Wild Card series. He is in a position to lock down an Opening Day role in the starting lineup, so there’s a lot of pressure on him to up his game this offseason, and he seems to be preparing to do just that.
MLB.com recently shared a video of DeLauter calling into MLB Radio to discuss his offseason work. The rookie discussed what he has focused on and what he wants to bring to the team.
“I’ve been trying to cut down a little big of weight, slim down a little bit, clean up. Make sure I can be on my feet as much as possible. I’m trying to figure out how to make sure my legs are ready for that. I think the next step is making sure we’re all coming up trusting each other, playing for each other’s back, not playing selfish. That’s the way we’re going to play Guardians ball and going to win games,” DeLauter said.
DeLauter is currently ranked as Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect, according to MLB.com, and could absolutely break camp as the starter in center or right field in April. His production in the minors has been undeniable with an .888 OPS across three years in the system, but his health has been a major concern.
DeLauter has played in just 138 games over the past three years, so it’s great to hear that he is prioritizing his health and fitness this offseason. The Guardians view him as a major part of the future, and if he can stay on the field and produce anything close to what he has in the minors, he could put himself right in the thick of the Rookie of the Year conversation.
It’s risky to place too much responsibility on a player with no regular-season MLB experience, but hopefully the brief playoff run helps him handle the pressures that could come with being an Opening Day starter.
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