Chase DeLauter will make his major-league debut as the Cleveland Guardians try to avoid being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in their AL Wild Card Series.
DeLauter, the No. 2 prospect in the system according to MLB and who turns 24 on Oct. 8, will play center field and bat seventh. It is the first time a Cleveland player will make his big-league debut in a postseason game.
″Just with where we’re at. Offense has been a struggle for us and we’re looking to generate some more offense,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Chase has played a lot of center field, he’s been a very good outfielder. He’s been a very good hitter. We feel like this is the right move to do.”
Cleveland struck out 15 times and managed only four hits in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers on Tuesday.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, DeLauter is the sixth player overall to accomplish the feat and the first since 2020, when Tampa Bay pitcher Shane McClanahan, San Diego pitcher Ryan Weathers and Minnesota outfielder Alex Kirilloff all made their debuts in the postseason.
Vogt said he told DeLauter on Monday there was a good chance he would play on Wednesday.
Selected 16th in the 2022 amateur draft, DeLauter hit .278 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 34 games at Triple-A Columbus.
Even though putting DeLauter out there might be considered a risk, Vogt noted it’s not any different from what they have done all season.
“We’ve pushed the envelope all year. Why stop now? We’ve had to do some really uncomfortable things all year,” Vogt said.
DeLauter likely would have been up at some point during the regular season, but he was sidelined by injuries for much of this year. He was hurt during a pregame workout at spring training on Feb. 28 and had bilateral core muscle surgery on March 4 for a sports hernia.
After eight games at the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Guardians, DeLauter played his first game this year for Triple-A Columbus on May 23, but he stayed in the lineup only until July 12. He had surgery 11 days later to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist.
It’s these injuries that are the long-term concern for DeLauter – as far as potential goes, he could have both genuine power and contact skills in the big leagues, and is the kind of lefty that could make a difference in a light-hitting Guardians’ lineup against right-handed pitchers – Casey Mize, Detroit’s starter in Game 2, is a righty. The only real question about DeLauter is whether or not he is healthy or not, but since he currently is, the Guardians will give him a shot right now when they need help the most.
DeLauter had been slated to play in the Arizona Fall League and had been taking batting practice at the organization’s Arizona complex before he was called up to the postseason roster.
“You’re making your major league debut and you’re in a wild card series and elimination game. Have fun, embrace it, enjoy it,” Vogt said. “Chase is ready. You can see it on his face how good of a player he is, and we’re going to roll with it, and we’re excited for him and his family.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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