Cleveland Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter had an impressive season in 2023 and was even better this year in spring training, turning heads in Guards’ camp and positioning himself for a potential callup in the summer.
Once the 2024 minor league season started, however, things proved to be much more difficult.
He has struggled somewhat this campaign, with a .197/.296/.295 in 16 games in Double-A.
DeLauter has been out of the lineup since April 25, nursing a left foot injury.
After a few days of tests, the Guards have reached a diagnosis.
“Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter has a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot, the same foot he had surgery on in January 2023. He’s meeting Wednesday with the specialist who performed the surgery to assess it,” Guardians insider Zack Meisel tweeted.
Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter has a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot, the same foot he had surgery on in January 2023. He’s meeting Wednesday with the specialist who performed the surgery to assess it.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 5, 2024
Usually, fifth metatarsal fractures take between six and eight weeks to fully heal, and that doesn’t include the time he will need to get himself into baseball shape and get his timing back.
It doesn’t seem to be a season-ending injury for the talented DeLauter, but it sure will alter his 2024 and perhaps push his estimated time of arrival (ETA) to MLB back at least a few weeks.
He gave the world a glimpse of what he can do in spring training, with a .520/.600/1.040 line and four home runs in 13 games.
He will, one day, be a starting-caliber outfielder for the Guardians.
That day may or may not come in 2024, depending on how quickly he can come back from this injury.
It’s certainly a bummer, but the organization seems to have enough depth to cope with his absence.
NEXT: Guardians Awaiting Test Results On Injured Star
