From Martinsburg to the Majors: Chase DeLauter’s Wild Ride to the Big Leagues and What Comes Next
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Chase DeLauter didn’t just make his MLB debut - he lived a dream that hit him like a freight train days later, alone in his car, somewhere between Cleveland and Martinsburg, W.Va.
When DeLauter stepped into the box during Game 2 of the Guardians’ 2025 Wild Card Series, Progressive Field was electric. But it wasn’t just the stakes or the playoff buzz that gave him chills - it was the crowd.
Thousands of fans, in unison, kept singing his walk-up song, John Denver’s “Country Roads,” long after the music had stopped. That moment, simple as it was, hit different.
“I probably listened to ‘Country Roads’ 10 times in a row and just bawled my eyes out,” DeLauter said a few days later, reflecting from the Guardians’ spring training complex. “That was me finally taking a moment to process everything. It was sick.”
It was the kind of moment every ballplayer dreams of - but few get to experience like this.
A Debut That Came Out of Nowhere
Heading into the postseason, DeLauter figured his season was over. He expected to stay in Columbus, get some live at-bats, then head to Arizona for the Fall League.
Instead, the Guardians called him up to Cleveland and added him to the taxi squad for the Wild Card Series against the Tigers. Even then, he assumed he was just there for the ride - until he wasn’t.
“They told me Monday they were gonna activate me, and that’s all she wrote,” DeLauter said.
Just like that, he went from minor league depth to playoff roster. No easing into the majors, no September call-up - just playoff baseball, bright lights, and a sellout crowd.
It was a whirlwind. DeLauter didn’t have time to process the magnitude of what was happening. He focused on one thing: staying locked in.
“I was so focused on just trying to be where my feet were,” he said. “Can I prepare myself to do my job today? That was all my focus.”
The Power of a Song - and a Moment
DeLauter had been using “Country Roads” as his walk-up song since Triple-A, but always envisioned it in a bigger setting. He waited until he had a crowd that could really carry the tune - and Progressive Field delivered.
From high school in West Virginia to James Madison University to the lower minors, he never quite had the stage to make it work. But when the Cleveland crowd picked up the lyrics and ran with them, it was more than just a walk-up song - it was a moment. And it stuck with him.
A few days after the series ended, driving home alone, the song came on his playlist.
“I didn’t cue it up, but it came on, and I was like, oh, I gotta turn it up real loud,” he said. “I just kept hitting the back button. Just kept listening.”
That’s when it hit him. The debut.
The crowd. The playoff atmosphere.
Everything he’d worked for.
“It all came out,” he said.
From Injury Setbacks to a Clear Path Forward
The road to that moment wasn’t smooth. DeLauter’s 2025 season was marred by a core injury and a fractured hamate bone.
He still managed to put up an .859 OPS in Triple-A, but only played 34 games. At one point, it wasn’t even clear if he’d be healthy enough to play in October - let alone get called up.
But that call changed everything.
“Just pure motivation,” DeLauter said. “Going from thinking I’m going home and heading to the Fall League, to debuting in the playoffs a few hours later - it flipped everything. It changed how I attacked the offseason.”
For the first time, he entered the winter not focused on rehab, but on development. That’s a big shift for a player who’s spent more time than he’d like on the trainer’s table.
And while he wasn’t thrilled with how his live at-bats looked on Feb. 15 at the team’s complex, the bigger picture is clear - he’s healthy, he’s in the box, and he’s finally building momentum.
“I had bad live at-bats, but it’s like, dude, I’m on my feet, I’m playing ball,” he said. “That’s made everything easier.
Less stress. More intent.
The more prepared I am, the less stress I’m putting on myself.”
Eyes on 2026 - and Another Debut
Now, DeLauter is chasing a second kind of debut - one in the regular season. He’ll have a shot to break camp with the Guardians this spring, though a return to Triple-A Columbus isn’t out of the question. The organization may want to ease him in, keep him healthy, and manage his service time.
But make no mistake: DeLauter is in the mix. And on a team that finished 28th in offense last year, his bat could be a difference-maker.
Whether it’s Opening Day or a midseason call-up, DeLauter’s goal is simple: get back to Progressive Field, step into the box, and hear that crowd sing “Country Roads” again.
And this time, he’ll be ready to soak it all in.