Chase DeLauter faced adversity for the first time in his Cleveland Guardians career, but found a way to get through it.
Chase DeLauter stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 4th inning with runners on second and third. The Cleveland Guardians finally had another scoring opportunity to build on their lead against the Houston Astros.
However, DeLauter hit a pop-up to first base, the infield fly rule was called, and he walked back to the dugout, clearly flustered.
That at-bat and situation has perfectly summed up DeLauter’s plate appearances from the last few weeks. After starting off red-hot at the plate, the rookie has come crashing back down to earth and was going through his first true big-league slump.
Over the last two weeks, before Tuesday’s game, DeLauter was 7-for-45 (.156 AVG) with opposing pitchers clearly getting the best of him at the plate. The on-base percentage was still solid during that stretch (.309), but it felt like DeLauter couldn’t buy a hit.
The good news for DeLauter is that baseball is an everyday game, and there was always going to be another opportunity to pick up your team, and he didn’t waste that chance in the eighth inning.
With the bases loaded and two outs, DeLauter took a ball the other way and cleared the bases with his first MLB triple, and gave the Guardians a 6-4 lead that the team never looked back from.
Apr 21, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) runs to third base with an RBI triple during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesThat long of a stretch without too much success at the plate can be tough for any player, whether it be a rookie or a 10-year veteran.
DeLauter was able to overcome this rough stretch at the plate for a couple of reasons. One of those is that the rookie said he’s never lost his confidence at the plate, and the mental part of hitting is certainly a key piece to the entire picture.
Even though DeLauter didn’t come through earlier in the game, he said his mindset was to flush that at-bat in the fourth inning and just focus on the task at hand, which he did. “Show up in the box later in the game, and [your] time's gonna come up again. You gotta flush it and move on,” said DeLauter after the game.
DeLauter has also been leaning on some of the team’s veterans through this stretch.
The rookie continued, “I like to go to the older guys: Kwan, Hedgey, the guys that've been around the game a long time, Rhys, and just kind of hear what they have to say, and get some thoughts from them. Those guys that just have wise words, man, and just smart. They've been around it forever, they've seen a lot of stuff, so it's good guys to talk to.”
DeLauter clearly has the talent to be at the big-league level, but the next step is staying ahead of opposing pitchers as they make adjustments. DeLauter appears to be doing that now, which should help him get back on track to be one of Cleveland’s more dangerous hitters in the lineup.
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