Chase DeLauter has been one of the best and most reliable rookies this year not only on the Cleveland Guardians, but also in the entire American League. He has offered power, contact, and on-base ability to a lineup starved for offense, and has given the organization a building block for the future.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to fully shake off the injury-prone label. DeLauter missed many minor league games during his time as a prospect with different ailments, and he spent a couple of weeks on the injured list this year with a small rib fracture in June.
On Sunday, he had to leave the game against the San Diego Padres with another physical issue, as Guardians fans watched in horror. However, according to the words of manager Stephen Vogt, it doesn’t appear to be serious.
“He felt it his last [warmup] sprint right before the game. He felt a little cramping sensation in his hamstring, and it just didn’t quite loosen up. He’s got some tightness in the hamstring, and we just felt ‘Let’s not risk this thing. Let’s get him off his feet.’ Just out of an abundance of caution, we got him out of there,” Vogt said.
It seems that the Guardians dodged a bullet with DeLauter, as losing him over a long period again would have been catastrophic for their playoff chances. Still, there’s no word on when he will return to the lineup.
It helps that Cleveland has a day off on Monday, as the extra rest will probably do wonders for DeLauter’s hamstring. The injury doesn’t sound like anything that will keep him sidelined too long, but it’s best to wait.
The Guardians have to be mindful of DeLauter’s workload at this point. Sunday marked his 106th game of the season, which is his new single-season career high at any professional level by a comfortable margin.
He has done an amazing job when healthy, as well, slashing a solid .285/.358/.442 with 13 home runs and a 128 wRC+. He has been the best rookie on the Guardians this year among position players, with Parker Messick getting the unofficial distinction among pitchers.
NEXT: Carlos Baerga Reveals What Guardians Must Figure Out
