Chase DeLauter keeps finding ways to matter for the Guardians when the games get tight.
The 25-year-old outfielder turned in another loud postseason night Monday in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, nearly cycling in Cleveland’s 7-3 comeback win. He reached base four times, going 3-for-4 with three runs, a double, a home run, an RBI and a walk, and he picked up his first career postseason homer in the process.
That performance only added to what’s already been a startling playoff run for a player who got his first taste of October before he ever played in a regular-season game. DeLauter made his MLB debut last year in the AL Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers, going 1-for-6 with a walk over the final two games of Cleveland’s three-game loss. Now, after his first full season, he’s looking far more comfortable under postseason pressure.
His numbers have backed it up. Through the 2026 postseason, DeLauter is hitting .333 with a .407 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage and a .907 OPS. Guardians Prospective highlighted the line after Monday’s game, noting that he had reached base four times and collected three hits in the win over Tampa Bay.
This season, Cleveland handed him the Opening Day right field job, and he rewarded that faith with a .287/.363/.457 slash line, 16 home runs and 67 RBIs across 133 games. That’s a strong rookie year on its own, but it comes with another layer: DeLauter had spent three years in the minors, and injuries had cut that stretch short more than once.
He’s been even hotter in October. DeLauter is riding a five-game hitting streak, and after Monday’s single, double, home run and walk, his postseason OPS ranked fourth among players still alive in the playoffs. He trails only teammates Jose Ramirez and Patrick Bailey, with Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras sitting first.
The turning point came when Cleveland was down 2-0 in the top of the sixth. DeLauter launched an opposite-field homer off Rays ace Drew Rasmussen, a swing that helped flip the game and seemed to spark the Guardians after they had wrapped up their five-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Cleveland will try to keep that surge rolling in Game 2 on Tuesday at Tropicana Field.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay has long lingered as one of the organizations toughest second guesses, and fresh reporting only adds another layer to the regret. The Guardians moved the then-rising prospect for pitcher Tobias Myers, a deal made with the hope of solving a pitching need while parting with a young hitter who was still far from the majors.
Now the sting is not just what Cleveland gave up, but how close the Rays came to asking for something else from the system before settling on Caminero. Xzavion Curry was among the minor leaguers Tampa Bay initially sought, and the fact that Caminero has developed into a top prospect while Myers and Curry have had quieter big league careers makes the trade look even harder to defend in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Schedule Change Created An Unusual MLB Playoff Ripple
MLBs postseason calendar picked up an odd little domino effect Wednesday, with the league moving Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers up an hour to 8 p.m. ET. The change did not come out of nowhere. It followed the earlier decision to shift ALCS Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of expected inclement weather, a reminder of how one playoff adjustment can ripple across the rest of the bracket.
For Cleveland fans, the practical part is simple: the team confirmed that tickets and parking passes will still work for the new start time. The bigger picture is a postseason schedule that can still bend quickly around weather, TV and the rest of the leagues needs, even as the Guardians try to stay focused on the field rather than the clock. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Guardians Fans Another Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams has already done his share to fuel Clevelands October run, and now he is looking to add something else to the mix as the Guardians head into the next round. The young starting pitcher said he wants to be a more vocal leader as the club prepares for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, a sign of how quickly he has grown from power arm to one of the voices in the room.
Williams backed up that confidence with his latest outing, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland now turns to a Game 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, set for 1 PM ET Thursday after a weather-related delay from the original 6 PM start, and the Guardians will be hoping their emerging starter brings the same edge both on the mound and in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]