When Chase DeLauter began the 2026 MLB season, it looked like he would never stop hitting home runs. Then, it looked like he would never hit another one again.
After a historic start with four home runs in his first three games, and adding a fifth four games later, they just stopped coming. DeLauter went 24 games – more than a month – without hitting one.
That drought ended Sunday when the rookie outfielder hit a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Athletics. It tied the game but would be Cleveland’s only run in a 7-1 loss.
Afterward, DeLauter got candid about his home run approach, saying where the ball goes, it goes.
“I think I said it early on this year, they come in bunches, and they don’t come in bunches. I don’t really like to think of myself as a home run strikeout kind of guy. I mean, I feel like I’m a hitter, so I just try to put the barrel to the ball, and wherever it goes, it goes,” Vogt said, per Cade Cracas.
#Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter about his home run abilities:
"I think I said it early on this year, they come in bunches, and they don't come in bunches. I don't really like to think of myself as a home run strikeout kind of guy. I mean, I feel like I'm a hitter, so I just try…
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 3, 2026
DeLauter had not homered since the Guardians’ home opener against the Chicago Cubs on April 3. That gave him five on the season, after he hit four in his first three MLB regular-season games to open the year at the Seattle Mariners.
His home run on Sunday ended a string of 84 at-bats without one. It coincided with an overall slump that dropped his batting average from .346 to .219 in mid-April.
A slump like that was to be expected from any young hitter, no matter how talented he may be. Once major league pitchers are able to identify a weakness or two, they will attack it, and the hitter then has to adjust accordingly to get back on track. That give-and-take will go on throughout a batter’s career.
Fortunately, with help from some of his teammates, DeLauter figured it out quicker than most and put off any potential talk of being sent back down to the minors to work on his stroke. With a current eight-game hitting streak, which included an 8-for-11 three-game series against the Athletics in Sacramento, DeLauter’s batting average is back above .300, and his OPS is approaching .950.
If he is correct, and his home runs will come in bunches, there could be a few more in store when the Guardians visit the Kansas City Royals for a four-game set that begins Monday.
NEXT: Chase DeLauter Is Quietly Having One Of The AL's Best Rookie Seasons
