The Cleveland Guardians are saying Chase DeLauter is "day-to-day" after being scratched from the start.
Chase DeLauter was a late scratch ahead of the Cleveland Guardians' spring training matchup against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
Unfortunately, missing time due to injury has been a recurring theme throughout DeLauter's Minor League career, which is why there were worried Guardians fans throughout Cleveland when the news broke in the middle of the week.
The good news is that Stephen Vogt said on Thursday that DeLauter is "doing good."
“He's feeling better today. Right now, the medical group’s reassessing him, just to see where he's at today. And then he'll go out and do some activity and see how it feels. So day to day right now" (quote via MLB.com's Tim Stebbins.)
Cleveland took DeLauter out of the lineup structurally as a precautionary move. He was still experiencing lower-body soreness from on-field workouts earlier in camp, and the team felt it was best to give DeLauter the day off rather than play through it in February.
DeLauter wasn't in Cleveland's lineup on Thursday either, but it didn't necessarily have to do anything with the injury.
The Guardians' matchup against the Seattle Mariners was scheduled as a day off for DeLauter. So far, he's been playing every other day, which has been the trend for many players this early in training camp.
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Chase DeLauter’s MLB debut patch is seen on his shoulder as he warms up before Game 2 of the American League wild card series at Progressive Field, Oct. 1, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.DeLauter has three hits in six at-bats so far this spring, including a double. The most encouraging part of this is that DeLauter has been hitting the ball hard, even on the at-bats that ended in outs.
The Guardians are heavily relying on DeLauter as a key piece of Cleveland's lineup, expecting a big jump in 2026. There were early signs that he could do just that, but DeLauter's health is obviously paramount in him being a potential Rookie of the Year candidate with the Guardians.
With how well DeLauter has been playing in Cactus League action, hopefully this is an injury that only keeps him sidelined for a few days, and DeLauter can get back into the lineup by the end of the week, or at the very latest this weekend.
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