Guardians No. 2 prospect DeLauter sidelined after core muscle surgery
Tim Stebbins
@tim_stebbinsGOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Chase DeLauter¡¯s first few professional seasons have been affected by injuries, and the Guardians¡¯ top outfield prospect was dealt more tough news this week.
The return-to-play timeline in similar cases is eight to 12 weeks, which would keep DeLauter out until at least early May.
DeLauter suffered a left-side core muscle injury while doing pregame defensive work on Friday. He visited Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia on Monday, and Meyers confirmed the presence of a sports hernia. Following an evaluation, Meyers recommended surgery, and DeLauter had a bilateral repair to additionally stabilize his right side.
DeLauter will return to Arizona this week to begin his rehab.
DeLauter, who was in Guardians camp as a non-roster invitee this spring, has been limited to 96 games in the Minors since Cleveland selected him 16th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft. The 23-year-old opened last season with Double-A Akron, but he played a combined 25 games between Akron, Triple-A Columbus and a rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League after fracturing a bone in his left foot in April while running the bases. He returned for one game (May 28), but went back on the IL on June 10 due to a sprained right big toe. He was activated on July 27.
DeLauter previously broke his left foot while in college at James Madison and had it surgically repaired in 2023. He played in 57 games between the Arizona Complex League, High-A Lake County and Akron that season.
¡°It definitely is tough, going down repeatedly,¡± DeLauter told MLB.com¡¯s Anthony Castrovince last month. ¡°You just treat it day by day. You wake up, get in the training room and get after it.¡±
When healthy, DeLauter has demonstrated why he¡¯s one of the top prospects in baseball. He has a career .317/.387/.517 slash line with 13 homers, 63 RBIs and 42 walks compared to 52 strikeouts in the Minors. Pipeline ranks him as the No. 7 outfield prospect overall.