Chase DeLauter lands on the 10-day injured list, but the Cleveland Guardians also call up one of their more intriguing offensive-minded prospects.
The roster moves keep on coming for the Cleveland Guardians, as a result of Saturday’s costly victory over the Detroit Tigers.
Twenty-four hours after Jose Ramirez underwent surgery to repair his fractured hamate bone and the Guardians placed Angel Martinez on the injured list, Cleveland did the same with rookie Chase DeLauter.
DeLauter was officially added to the 10-day IL with a right-side rib fracture, which is retroactive to June 14.
Even though this move comes days after DeLauter initially sustained the injury, it’s no surprise that the final outcome was the rookie ending up on the injured list.
Stephen Vogt initially said on Tuesday that Chase would be day-to-day with the injury and could play through it depending on the tolerance.
However, when the Guardians opted not to have him pinch-hit in the ninth inning of a one-run game on Tuesday, it was pretty clear from afar that DeLauter likely couldn’t play through the pain.
Ultimately, shutting down DeLauter, who has an extensive injury history, is probably the right decision with so much of the season left to go.
May 3, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) jogs to the dugout after the final out of the bottom of the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn ImagesEven though DeLauter's landing on the injured list is bad news, there is some excitement with this roster move. The Guardians are calling up their No. 12-ranked prospect, Kahlil Watson, to take his place on the roster.
Watson isn’t in Cleveland’s starting lineup on Tuesday, but should be in line to get plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks with both DeLauter and Martinez sidelined.
Expecting Watson to immediately fill the void that Ramirez, DeLauter, and Martinez are leaving is putting unfair expectations on the 23-year-old. That said, he does have the potential to be an impact bat in Cleveland’s lineup and help the team stay afloat over the next month.
Cleveland acquired Watson in a trade with the Miami Marlins at the 2023 deadline, where the Guardians sent Josh Bell to the National League team in exchange for the prospect and the remaining salary of Jean Segura.
Since then, the left-handed hitting outfielder has quickly become one of the most promising offensive-minded Minor Leaguers the Guardians have in their farm system. Since Watson’s Minor League career began in 2021, he owns a .237/.333/.436 slash line across all levels.
Watson has appeared in 52 games at Triple-A so far this season and has hit 12 home runs with a .861 OPS. There is a slight concern with his strikeout rate of nearly 28 percent, but that’s bound to come with any player with the power potential Watson possesses.
It’s undoubtedly disappointing that Watson's call-up coincides with DeLauter’s trip to the injured list, but Cleveland will finally get to see what the highly-touted hitter can do at the MLB level.
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