Chase DeLauter has been one of the hottest hitters on the Cleveland roster since coming off the injured list on June 28, hitting .353 with seven RBI and four extra base hits over his first eight games back. That kind of production might seem surprising for a player returning from an injury, but DeLauter has made clear the short stint away from the field actually did more good than harm. The rookie outfielder has dealt with more serious injuries in the past that required months of recovery, making this brief pause feel different from anything he had experienced before.
DeLauter opened up about exactly how the time away reshaped his body and his mindset heading back into the lineup.
“The IL stint was definitely a good little break for me for the legs and stuff like that. I will say, coming back, jumping right back into compete mode, it stacks up quick. It’s an interesting one to navigate, because in the past when I’ve had stuff, it’s been, let’s take a couple of months. You kind of know it’s a long process. Whereas this time, you’re really not doing anything for a week, and then you’re doing everything again the following week. It was good, though. A good little reset on the mental, on the legs. But again, you never really hope that happens,” DeLauter said.
The mental reset DeLauter described may matter just as much as the physical one. Rookies dealing with the grind of a full major league season rarely get a built-in pause to step back and recharge, and DeLauter’s ability to turn a short injury into exactly that kind of reset speaks to his maturity in handling the ups and downs of his first full year. His numbers since returning back that up directly, with five multi-hit games in his last nine appearances and a two-run homer against the White Sox earlier this month that snapped a home run drought dating back to mid-May.
DeLauter was careful to note he is not hoping for another trip to the injured list anytime soon, and Cleveland certainly needs him healthy and productive as the club continues navigating a lineup missing Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez. Still, his ability to find something positive in a difficult situation has paid off in a big way. If this version of DeLauter continues showing up in the lineup, that short IL stint may end up looking like exactly the reset his season needed.
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