Chase DeLauter Injury Update, Cleveland Guardians News

Cleveland Guardians' No. 1 prospect, Chase DeLauter, will start a rehab assignment at the team's Arizona Complex.

Feb 29, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (6) grounds out in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Chase DeLauter entered the 2024 season as the Cleveland Guardians’ number-one prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old has so much potential as a hitter but has struggled to stay on the field for the last two seasons.

Here’s the latest on DeLauter’s most recent injury. 

DeLauter went on the seven-day injured list back on June 10 with what ended up being a toe injury. He’s getting closer to returning to the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Double-A affiliate) as the organization assigned him to the ACL Guardians (Arizona Complex League) for a rehab assignment on Saturday, July 20. 

DeLauter even played in his first game on Saturday and went 1-for-2 with a walk strikeout and came around to score two runs. 

While it is nice to see him back on the field, the number of injuries already piling up for DeLauter is becoming concerning. 

This latest toe injury is his second IL stint of 2024. Earlier this year, he fractured his foot for the second time, the same foot he broke in college that required surgery after being drafted by the Guardians in 2022.. Thankfully, the second fracture wasn’t aas serious, but DeLauter still missed valuable development time. 

A week and a half after he returned from the foot injury, the latest toe injury appeared. 

Feb 29, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (6) catches a fly ball in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

DeLuater has only played in 17 games (64 at-bats) this season due to all of the injuries. He’s hit .194/.301/.290 with an OPS of .591, including one home run in those appearances.