Outfielder Chase DeLauter, one of the Cleveland Guardians‘ top prospects, has suffered a fracture in his surgically repaired left foot and will be sidelined until further notice.
DeLauter previously broke his left foot during his last season at James Madison University, the year before the Guardians made him the No. 16 overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft. “We feel for Chase,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Sunday, via Mandy Bell of MLB.com. “He did everything he could through the rehab process. This is just one of those freak things. Obviously he’s a big guy that’s really powerful, and unfortunately, that led to a recurrence of his foot issues.”
Bell writes that DeLauter will soon meet with a foot specialist to determine a course of treatment. Once that’s decided, a rough time-table for his return may be disclosed. Whatever the specifics, the injury and its recurrent nature likely mean an extended absence.
Coming into the 2024 season, CBS Sports ranked DeLauter as the No. 46 overall prospect in baseball. Here’s part of R.J. Anderson’s write-up:
“We’ve been fans of DeLauter dating back to his polarizing days at James Madison, where he dominated subpar competition despite unorthodox swing mechanics. Scouts were mixed on whether or not he’d look as good against better pitching. Alas, it remains an open question 18 months later. Various injuries have limited him to just 57 regular season games as a pro, plus an impressive 23-game stint in the Arizona Fall League that saw him hit .299/.385/.529 with more walks than strikeouts. DeLauter had wider error bars than the standard first-round collegiate bat even before the injury bug nested in his gear bag. For now, all we can do is shrug at what the future holds for him.”
This season, the 22-year-old DeLauter, coming off a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League and then a standout spring with the Guardians, struggled through 16 games for Double-A Akron. He’s been sidelined since April 25, when he first reported soreness in that left foot.
