Cleveland Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter had to leave June 13’s game with a rib injury after crashing into the outfield wall. Tests and imaging determined that he has a small fracture in the area, so he was placed on the injured list last week.
DeLauter has been a pleasant surprise for the Guardians this season. He has cooled off after an explosive first few games, but has remained a steady, above-average performer until the moment of his injury.
How long will he be out? Nobody knows for sure, but for the first time since going down, the Guardians had a positive update on Monday afternoon.
“Stephen Vogt said Chase DeLauter is progressing and is hitting, running, and throwing. No targeted return date, per Vogt, but the Guardians hope he will be back during their upcoming homestand,” team insider Tim Stebbins said.
Stephen Vogt said Chase DeLauter is progressing and is hitting, running and throwing.
No targeted return date, per Vogt, but Guardians hope he will be back during their upcoming homestand.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) June 22, 2026
Starting on Friday, Cleveland will begin a long homestand with a weekend series against the Seattle Mariners, a date against the Texas Rangers, and another one vs. the Chicago White Sox from July 3-5. Vogt is hoping that DeLauter can get back into the lineup and the outfield rotation in one of those three series.
It’s certainly doable, since he is already hitting, running, and throwing. It will be a matter of doing all three activities with no hesitation and at 100 percent capacity, and then getting some minor league at-bats as a tune-up.
It’s the first time in his short MLB career that the outfielder has hit the injured list. He developed a reputation for being somewhat fragile during his time in the minor leagues, though, but had been able to play the majority of Cleveland’s games before that rib ailment he suffered nine days ago.
The former first-rounder is slashing a cool .263/.337/.408 with seven home runs and a 110 wRC+ in 66 games and 270 plate appearances in his first full season as a major leaguer. His 13.3 percent strikeout rate is among the lowest in baseball.
The Guardians are currently playing without DeLauter, Angel Martinez, and superstar Jose Ramirez, all injured in that June 13 game. The young outfielder appears to be the closest one to returning to action after Monday’s news.
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