Chase DeLauter has faced much more adversity during his career than a typical MLB rookie. So the Cleveland Guardians outfielder wasn’t going to let an extended slump during his first month derail his path.
After a historic start that included four home runs in his first three games, DeLauter saw his batting average fall by almost .150 points. He also went almost 30 days without hitting a home run.
Now, sporting an eight-game hitting streak, which included his first homer in 84 at-bats, DeLauter is opening up about his roller-coaster season, saying he’s just “grateful to be out there.”
“Honestly, just remembering that I’m grateful to be out there. I’ve had a weird path to get there, a lot of injuries, a lot of time in Arizona that I wish I could have back at any moment. But I think that’s it. Again, whether you’re riding the highs or riding the lows, it’s show up every day and prepare to play, and that’s it,” DeLauter said.
#Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter on dealing with the ups and downs:
"Honestly, just remembering that I'm grateful to be out there. I've had a weird path to get there, a lot of injuries, a lot of time in Arizona that I wish I could have back at any moment. But I think that's it.…
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 3, 2026
DeLauter’s injury woes date back to his college days at James Madison University. A series of issues involving his left foot and surgeries for a sports hernia and on his right wrist have limited him to 138 minor league games over the past three seasons and caused him to spend a lot of time rehabbing at the Guardians’ facility in Goodyear, Arizona.
However, whenever he was on the field, he was able to produce, and he became one of the few players to make his MLB debut in a postseason game, doing so for the Guardians in the AL Wild Card Round last year. Then, in his first regular-season game, he hit two home runs against the Seattle Mariners.
It was part of a hot start that had him batting .364 with five home runs on April 3. But it went downhill from there, with his batting average dropping to a season low of .219 on April 20.
It has been climbing again since then, getting back over .300 thanks to his current hitting streak. After going 8-for-11 in a three-game series against the Athletics, DeLauter is batting .304 with six home runs and 21 RBIs with an OPS of .946. He also has at least one base hit in 21 of his 32 games played.
DeLauter will likely continue to experience the peaks and valleys that are to be expected in a rookie season, but he seems well-equipped to handle whatever difficulties come his way.
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