ANAHEIM -- Once again, the Guardians exercised caution with outfielder Chase DeLauter and his nagging left hamstring.
DeLauter was not in the Guardians’ starting lineup for Tuesday's 8-6 win over the Angels due to left hamstring tightness, which also caused him to be scratched from Cleveland’s lineup about 30 minutes before first pitch on Monday.
However, DeLauter entered Tuesday's win as a pinch-hitter for David Fry in the ninth inning. He struck out swinging in a five-pitch at-bat.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt noted Monday night the hope was that DeLauter would be back in the lineup on Tuesday. But the Guardians instead maintained a pragmatic approach and kept a zoomed-out perspective in mind.
“He’s feeling better,” Vogt said of DeLauter pregame Tuesday. “Obviously, it’s a similar thing he was dealing with last week versus San Francisco. [We’re operating with an] abundance of caution. We’ve got to be smart with this, and make sure he's feeling as close to 100% as possible.”
DeLauter exited a 5-0 loss to the Padres on Aug. 16 after two innings due to what the Guardians called “mild” left hamstring tightness. That followed a three-hour, 11-minute rain delay, but it led to him missing the entirety of Cleveland's ensuing three-game series against the Giants at Progressive Field.
DeLauter returned to action Friday and started all three games against the Rockies at Coors Field over the weekend. He went 3-for-4 with two triples in a 7-2 win on Sunday.
The Guardians made clear on multiple occasions entering this season that they would be mindful of DeLauter’s workload when appropriate, given his physical history. He has played in 110 games this season, which is his new career high at any professional level after he dealt with injury setbacks from 2023-25 while in the Minor Leagues.
DeLauter has made 58 starts in right field and 47 at designated hitter. The Guardians’ big-picture plan has continued to flash since this hamstring issue cropped up.
“It's the same thing we've been doing all year with Chase,” Vogt said. “Our medical staff and Chase have done a phenomenal job of communicating, and we have to be smart. You can't let a little thing turn into a big thing. It's low-level right now, but we want to keep it that way.”
To that end, consider how the Guardians proceeded on Tuesday.
DeLauter pinch-hit for Fry with the go-ahead run on first in the top of the ninth, in a 6-6 game. But he did not remain in the game for defense and evidently was not an option to do so, given what transpired after his strikeout.
Rather than have DeLauter play defense after pinch-hitting, Vogt burned the DH spot, moving Steven Kwan from there to center field. The Guardians had no outfielders left on their bench after Fry pinch-hit for center fielder Petey Halpin in the seventh and DeLauter pinch-hit for Fry.
In the end, reliever Erik Sabrowski assumed DeLauter's spot in the lineup.
Beyond an 11-day stint on the 10-day injured list in June due to a right rib cage fracture and the hamstring issue, DeLauter has remained quite durable as a rookie this season. And as he has continued to post, he has continued to produce.
DeLauter entered Tuesday slashing .288/.363/.450 with 22 doubles (team high), 13 home runs and 59 RBIs, with 50 walks and 66 strikeouts. He has been especially stellar in August, reaching base in 16 of his 17 games this month while recording a .348/.442/.530 slash line.
As the Guardians push to make the postseason, they will need DeLauter’s bat anchoring their lineup. Keeping him healthy for the stretch run is an utmost priority.