The Cleveland Guardians enjoyed perhaps the most exciting day of their season on Friday, with two dramatic walk-off wins over the Detroit Tigers. The second one, however, brought some injuries with it.
Angel Martinez was taken out of the game as a precaution after colliding with Brayan Rocchio, and rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter also departed with a right wrist injury. The former is good to go and is actually part of Saturday’s night lineup. What about DeLauter?
He isn’t in the lineup for Saturday’s clash, but according to manager Stephen Vogt, his injury isn’t serious.
“Chase is going to be day-to-day. The wrist is feeling better today, but it’s really sore and stiff. So we just got to get some good treatment in today and see how he’s feeling,” the skipper said, per Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland.
Vogt said DeLauter is feeling better today, but his wrist is still sore and stiff. Hope remains it’s a day to day thing
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) September 5, 2026
If Vogt is talking about the wrist being day-to-day and the player getting treatment, it’s logical to assume that the organization performed, at least, some X-rays in the area and they came back negative. The team didn’t report any images taken, though.
DeLauter, who has developed a reputation for being injury-prone over the years, has already visited the injured list once this year, back in June with a small rib fracture. He appears to have dodged a bullet this time, though.
He has been a key cog in the Guardians’ lineup in 2026 in his first full season in the majors. With 3.1 fWAR, he leads the organization among position players, tied with infielder Brayan Rocchio.
DeLauter is a dark horse AL Rookie of the Year candidate with his .294/.365/.458 line, 13 home runs, 133 wRC+, 60 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 120 games and 499 plate appearances. He probably won’t leapfrog top contenders Kevin McGonigle and Parker Messick in the voting process, but he has been impressive nonetheless.
DeLauter is now set to anchor the Guardians’ lineup for years to come, and he has proven this year that while he probably won’t play 162 games per year, 140-150 aren’t out of the question, and that’s more than enough for him to make a huge impact. The future is here in Cleveland, and DeLauter is a big part of it.
NEXT: New Guardians Pitcher Had Impressive Day On Friday
