The Cleveland Guardians desperately need players within the organization to take the next steps in their development in 2026 after they had one of the worst offenses in baseball last season. There is more pressure on some players to do so, especially now that the front office has opted not to bring in reinforcements in free agency or via trades, and young outfielder Chase DeLauter is right at the top of that list.
DeLauter made history by debuting in the AL Wild Card series for the Guardians, and with a decent Spring Training, he is in line to win himself a full-time role as a starter in this outfield. He has a chance to give this offense a legitimate boost and establish himself as a foundational piece of this team’s future, and one insider is firmly in his corner as well. Cleveland.com’s Joe Noga has seen enough.
In a recent article for Cleveland.com, he pointed out how this team has manipulated DeLauter’s service time long enough, and it’s time to see what he can do.
“Guardians fans have been waiting for Chase DeLauter for so long that manipulating his service time and holding off on him until May, to me, that would just be crazy,” Noga argued. “They’ve waited long enough for this guy to get healthy and get out on the field. If he’s ready, just put him out there from day one.”
Injuries have certainly played a role in delaying DeLauter’s promotion to the big leagues, but he finished last season healthy and is entering this season with a clean bill of health. There simply aren’t other options that make more sense in the outfield, and it’s time to see if DeLauter can sink or swim.
Angel Martinez and Nolan Jones were massive flops in center and right field last season, and those two positions represent major areas of need for this lineup. Jhonkensy Noel also had a shot to take a step forward and fill one of those slots, but he was so bad that it got him DFA’d this offseason.
It’s DeLauter’s time, and hopefully, it will be for the next decade or more.
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