January 21, 2026 6:29 PM PST
The Guardians announced today that outfield prospect required surgery due to a right hamate fracture. Their announcement noted that the typical return timeline for such a procedure is six to eight weeks. Its C.J. Miles Jersey yet another frustrating injury setback for DeLauter, who has had many of them. Recurring foot injuries limited his workload in both 2023 and 2024. This year, he required core muscle surgery in March, which cost him a couple of months. Now this surgery seems likely to cost him a couple more. DeLauter, the 16th overall pick of the 2022 draft, has still been productive on a rate basis. He has a .302/.384/.504 batting line and 142 wRC+ in his minor league career overall. That includes a .278/.383/.476 line and 130 wRC+ in Triple-A this year. However, hes been limited to just 583 plate appearances in the three years since being drafted. Despite all the setbacks, it seemed po sible he would help the Guardians at the big league level this year. He first reached Triple-A late in 2024 then came into camp this year as a non-roster invitee. He was already a long shot to make the Opening Day roster before the core muscle surgery put him out of commi sion. He returned and got a couple of months on the field and could have been called up to help the Guards, but theres little chance of that now. With his timeline, he wont be back until September. The Guards could give him some big league playing time down the stretch but they may be in a playoff race. Though their outfield hasnt been strong for a while, they might not want to rely on a prospect who has mi sed so much time, so perhaps he will finish his season by getting into a few more minor league contests. Hes going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter, so the Guards will be adding him to the roster in the next few months regardle s. Perhaps that could lead to DeLauter making his major league debut, especially if the club is out of contention later in the year. Once hes on the roster, theres a path to playing time if hes healthy. has been hurt most of this year and is an impending free agent. is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has been a subpar hitter in the big leagues. He also has options remaining. , and are all struggling at the plate this year. has been in some trade speculation but seems likely to stay. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lange, Imagn Images Jonas Valanciunas Jersey
The Guardians announced today that outfield prospect required surgery due to a right hamate fracture. Their announcement noted that the typical return timeline for such a procedure is six to eight weeks. Its C.J. Miles Jersey yet another frustrating injury setback for DeLauter, who has had many of them. Recurring foot injuries limited his workload in both 2023 and 2024. This year, he required core muscle surgery in March, which cost him a couple of months. Now this surgery seems likely to cost him a couple more. DeLauter, the 16th overall pick of the 2022 draft, has still been productive on a rate basis. He has a .302/.384/.504 batting line and 142 wRC+ in his minor league career overall. That includes a .278/.383/.476 line and 130 wRC+ in Triple-A this year. However, hes been limited to just 583 plate appearances in the three years since being drafted. Despite all the setbacks, it seemed po sible he would help the Guardians at the big league level this year. He first reached Triple-A late in 2024 then came into camp this year as a non-roster invitee. He was already a long shot to make the Opening Day roster before the core muscle surgery put him out of commi sion. He returned and got a couple of months on the field and could have been called up to help the Guards, but theres little chance of that now. With his timeline, he wont be back until September. The Guards could give him some big league playing time down the stretch but they may be in a playoff race. Though their outfield hasnt been strong for a while, they might not want to rely on a prospect who has mi sed so much time, so perhaps he will finish his season by getting into a few more minor league contests. Hes going to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter, so the Guards will be adding him to the roster in the next few months regardle s. Perhaps that could lead to DeLauter making his major league debut, especially if the club is out of contention later in the year. Once hes on the roster, theres a path to playing time if hes healthy. has been hurt most of this year and is an impending free agent. is recovering from Tommy John surgery and has been a subpar hitter in the big leagues. He also has options remaining. , and are all struggling at the plate this year. has been in some trade speculation but seems likely to stay. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lange, Imagn Images Jonas Valanciunas Jersey