Top prospect DeLauter's fractured foot won't require surgery

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians hoped they were just being extra cautious with Chase DeLauter, their top prospect. But now, they’ve learned he has a fracture in his left foot once again.

DeLauter reported pain in his foot while running the bases in a game with Double-A Akron on April 25. It’s the same foot that he broke while at James Madison University and had surgically repaired last year, so there was no question that the organization was going to give him extended time off to make sure that this didn’t turn into something serious again. But a CT scan revealed a fracture in his fifth metatarsal bone, the team announced on Sunday.

DeLauter had a follow-up appointment with foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Thursday, who performed his procedure last year, and received encouraging news. Anderson confirmed DeLauter's diagnosis that the fracture will not require surgery, and that the injury can be treated conservatively. No recovery timetable has been determined at this time.

“We feel for Chase,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “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.”

The timing couldn’t be worse for the 22-year-old outfielder. DeLauter stole the spotlight during Spring Training by hitting .520 with a 1.640 OPS, four homers and 10 RBIs in 13 Cactus League games.

DeLauter got off to a slow start with Akron, but the Guardians have been hoping to see him deal with some adversity on the field, considering he experienced nothing but success when he returned to game action after his foot surgery last season. Once he proved he could handle some struggles and right the ship, a promotion to Triple-A Columbus was inevitable. Now, DeLauter is going to miss at least some developmental time.

“I think what we see with Chase, though, is he’s got incredible ability,” Antonetti said. “So hopefully, when he is back healthy, he can shorten that developmental time frame as much as possible, continue his development and become a Major League option for us.”