GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chase DeLauter thought his season was over. The culprit was yet another injury, this time a broken hamate bone in his right hand while he was playing at Triple-A Columbus.
He played what he thought was his last game of the season on July 17 before undergoing surgery on July 23. It usually takes six to eight weeks to recover from that kind of surgery, which meant another missed opportunity to make the big leagues and yet another season in the Arizona Fall League.
“Then I had a little setback in my wrist” said DeLauter. “I needed a cortisone shot to get the inflammation out of there.”
By that time, DeLauter was at Cleveland’s spring-training facility in Goodyear to complete his rehab. He took a few at-bats with the Guardians Arizona Complex League team before that season ended, but most of his stay was devoted to working on his hand and swing.
He was also making offseason plans.
“I was going to go back to Columbus, pick up my truck and drive home to West Virginia to get a little break before the Arizona Fall League started,” said DeLauter.
A phone call from James Harris changed those plans. Harris, Cleveland’s assistant general manager, asked DeLauter if he wouldn’t mind going to Columbus to continue his rehab even though the Clippers season was over.
“He told me, ‘You never know what could happen,’” said DeLauter.
In Cleveland, the Guardians were completing a remarkable rally that saw them win the AL Central on the final day of the season after trailing first-place Detroit by 11 games on Sept. 4.
They were one of baseball’s best stories, winning with great pitching and an offense that did just enough to win. It was the kind of offense that needed a jolt.
The Guardians put DeLauter on the taxi squad just before their three-game wild card series with the Tigers. DeLauter was delighted.
“I could come to Cleveland and practice with the guys,” he said. “I was like, ‘This is sick. I get to watch the games from the dugout. That’s pretty cool.’”
For Game 1 of the wild card series, the Guardians selected DeLauter’s contract from Columbus. He was no longer a spectator.
Manager Stephen Vogt started DeLauter in center field against Casey Mize in Game 2 after the Tigers won the opener of the best-of-three series, 2-1. Not only was DeLauter making his big league debut in the postseason — the first Cleveland player to do so — he was making it in an elimination game.
Gleyber Torres, Detroit’s second batter of the game, sent a fly ball to center field. On a windy and sunny day at Progressive Field, DeLauter lost the ball in the glare and dropped it for an error.
“It felt like 40,000 people punched you in the chest,” said DeLauter. “I’m just glad Tanner Bibee got through the inning without giving up a run. He came up to me after the inning and said, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”
In the fourth inning, with the Guardians leading, 1-0, the Tigers loaded the bases. Javy Baez sent a single to center and it appeared the Tigers scored two runs on the play.
DeLauter, however, reached the ball quickly and made an on-target throw to third base to get Zach McKinstry. He was originally called safe, but Cleveland challenged and the call was overturned. McKinstry was out, and as an added bonus a run was taken off the board because the Detroit’s second runner did not cross the plate before McKinstry made the third out.
“I go from a crazy low to a crazy high,” said DeLauter.
DeLauter, who walked in his first plate appearance, went 0 for 2 in Game 2. In Game 3, he went 1 for 4 with a single.
This spring DeLauter has his best chance to make the opening day roster in center or right field. The most important thing he has to do is stay healthy, something that has proven to be difficult since Cleveland made him a first round pick in 2022.
“Everyone says what do you have to do to stay healthy,” said DeLauter. “I just try to go to bed feeling good and wake up feeling good. I’m giving myself the best chance as far as preparation goes and what I’m putting in my body to fuel it.
“Whether something happens or not, I can live with it because I’ve given it my best chance.”