Chase DeLauter’s rise in Cleveland took a worrying turn Sunday when the rookie left the Guardians’ game against the Padres in the third inning with a mild left hamstring strain.
The injury came after an active start for DeLauter, who had already made his presence felt in the field and at the plate. He caught Manny Machado’s fly ball in the first inning, then popped out to shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the bottom half. In the second, he turned and tracked Gavin Sheets’ home run all the way to the warning track before the ball cleared the wall.
By the time DeLauter exited, Cleveland was trailing San Diego, 2-0. Angel Martínez stepped in to replace him in the lineup and took over in left field, while Jo Adell shifted from left to right to fill the opening.
The timing matters because DeLauter has been one of the Guardians’ most productive hitters lately. He entered Sunday batting .345 (19-for-55) in August with two home runs, six RBI and a .919 OPS across 13 games. He had logged multiple hits in six of his previous nine games and carried a team-best 13-game on-base streak into the finale.
That stretch has been part of a bigger breakout in his rookie season. Since returning from a cracked right rib that cost him two weeks in June, DeLauter had hit .321 with an .884 OPS in 40 games.
Overall, the 24-year-old came into the day hitting .286 with an .801 OPS, 13 home runs and 57 RBI. He ranked second among American League rookies in hits with 115 and RBI with 57, third in total bases with 178, and also led the Guardians with 35 multi-hit games and 36 extra-base hits. He had reached safely in 91 of his first 106 games.
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