The Cleveland Guardians’ offense has been a disaster in 2025, and even after scoring 21 runs over a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros to put a merciful end to a 10-game losing streak, Cleveland still ranks 26th in MLB in runs and 29th in batting average at a paltry .224.
There was immense pressure on the front office in the offseason to bring in a big bat or two, and the front office responded by trading one of the only big bats in the lineup in Josh Naylor, which has all resulted in this abysmal offensive output that has many fans and analysts calling for the callup of one top prospect to try to fix things.
ESPN Cleveland’s Emmett Golden and Aaron Goldhammer recently said that it’s time to get Chase DeLauter up to the big leagues.
“They’re back to five games under .500, but they’ve got the White Sox. Pull of a sweep here, and let’s get Chase DeLauter up here, who hit another home run. Does he need to hit a home run in every at-bat for you to call him up? Is that where we’re at?” Goldhammer said.
“I’ve heard Andre Knott say they’re trying to make sure he gets healthy. Looks pretty healthy to me. I don’t know his medicals, but bring him up. What do you have to lose at this point?” Golden said.
The Guardians have won 3 games in a row… is it now time to call up Chase DeLauter? pic.twitter.com/ugjlCfAq2P
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 10, 2025
The 23-year-old DeLauter was Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2022 and has an .854 OPS over 41 games in Double-A and Triple-A this season.
He has a career OPS of .889 in the minors, with the only thing likely holding him back from getting to the majors sooner being a slew of injuries, including hernia surgery, a broken foot, and a sprained toe limiting him to just 137 games over the past three seasons.
However, he is healthy now and provides offensive upside that the Guardians’ lineup desperately needs.
Steven Kwan is the Guardians’ only outfielder who hasn’t been an abject disaster at the plate in 2025, as he is the only one with an OPS over .645.
Nolan Jones and Angel Martinez have continued to see everyday at-bats despite posting a negative WAR on the season and hitting barely above the Mendoza line.
Cleveland has the fourth-worst record in the American League and needs a shot in the arm as badly as any team in baseball.
The time is now to call up DeLauter.
NEXT: Analyst Makes Big Prediction About Steven Kwan's Future
