The Cleveland Guardians recently promoted outfield prospect Chase DeLauter from Double-A to Triple-A.
The lefty-hitting DeLauter had a brilliant spring training (.520/.600/1.040 line with four home runs and a 1.640 OPS in 13 games), which sparked rumors about him making the team out of camp despite limited experience in the high minors.
The Guardians did the right thing and assigned him to Double-A, though, but a fractured foot and a turf toe limited him to just 30 games in that level.
After a slow start and the interruption of his season due to the injuries, DeLauter eventually regained his rhythm and forced his promotion to Triple-A with a .252/.328/.441 line and a 116 wRC+ in Double-A.
He has played three games in Columbus, yet he is already showing off his impressive raw power.
He went yard on Friday and the early returns in Triple-A are favorable.
1st Triple-A HR!#Guardians 22yr old OF prospect Chase DeLauter crushes a 384 foot solo HR in the 7th inning tonight for Columbus 103.0 mph off the bat for his 1st HR at the Triple-A level!
That's now 5 HR's in his last 10 games for DeLauter!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/n9OrpF5ajj
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 24, 2024
The big question with DeLauter isn’t whether he will eventually make it to the major leagues.
The burning question is when.
Does he have a hot streak in him that can force his way to MLB for the stretch run this year?
It’s extremely unlikely, and the best thing for his development is to leave him mature at his own pace in Triple-A for what it’s left of the 2024 campaign.
However, circumstances could potentially force the Guardians to call him up.
The team has one of the worst offenses in baseball since the All-Star break, with numerous stars slumping at the same time and most rookies losing some steam.
They are definitely in need of a spark.
DeLauter is just getting started in Triple-A, but who knows if he, in a few weeks, finds himself in Cleveland?
The Guards’ offense is having a miserable time right now, and there are guys in Triple-A who could provide a much-needed injection of talent.
Kyle Manzardo, Juan Brito, Gabriel Arias, Angel Martinez, and DeLauter could potentially become options for Cleveland in the upcoming weeks.
DeLauter is by far the most unlikely player of that list to see MLB playing time this year, but if he keeps up his hot hitting, all bets are off.
NEXT: Recent Numbers Prove The Guardians' Three Best Hitters Are Failing To Perform
