Chase DeLauter to make MLB debut with Guardians in playoffs: Injury update, stats

Cleveland Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter (6), shown here during a 2025 spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, was a late addition to the team's wild-card series roster.

The Major League Baseball playoffs are often decided by the wrinkles teams can conjure up to keep a season alive. So perhaps Chase DeLauter is the answer to the must-win situation the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in entering Game 2 against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

DeLauter has gone from an injured player to an unexpected wild-card series roster addition to history-making rookie in a span of a few days. The Guardians prospect is set to join just five other players to make their MLB debuts in the playoffs. DeLauter will start in center field and bat seventh in the order when Cleveland tries to extend its series against Detroit, the team announced several hours before first pitch.

As the Guardians prepare to go against Tigers' right-handed starter Casey Mize facing a 1-0 series deficit in Game 2, here's what else to know about the former first-round draft pick Cleveland is turning to with its 2025 season on the line:

How old is Chase DeLauter?

DeLauter is 23 years old, but turns 24 on Oct. 8. He was born in Frederick, Maryland and grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Chase DeLauter MLB draft, prospect ranking

DeLauter was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft out of James Madison. He's currently considered the Guardians' No. 2 prospect and No. 54 overall by MLB Pipeline.

Chase DeLauter stats

The lefty had a .278 batting average, .383 on-base percentage and .476 slugging percentage with five homers over 34 games with Triple-A Columbus this past season. He has appeared in just 138 career minor league games since being drafted due to multiple injuries.

Chase DeLauter injury update

This will be DeLauter's first appearance in a game since July 11 when he was playing for Triple-A Columbus, after which the Guardians announced he underwent surgery to repair a right hamate fracture in his wrist. He hasn't started a game in center field since Aug. 15, 2024.

DeLauter would have likely been called up by the Guardians sooner, according to MLB.com, if not for his bad injury luck since joining the professional ranks. He underwent core muscle surgery for a sports hernia in March during spring training after missing games last year with a fractured bone in his left foot that had previously required surgery, a sprained right big toe and a right hamstring strain.

Why Guardians are starting Chase DeLauter in Game 2

Cleveland is hoping DeLauter can provide an offensive boost to a lineup that surged into the postseason despite producing the third-fewest runs in the majors this year.

"Everywhere he’s ever been, he’s hit," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters, according to The Athletic. "So, again, we’re looking for offense. We have been all year. And this gives us a really good opportunity to have an impact bat."

Chase DeLauter MLB debut history

When DeLauter starts for the Guardians in Game 2, he will become the sixth player to make his MLB debut in a playoff game. Pitchers Shane McClanahan (Tampa Bay Rays) and Ryan Weathers (San Diego Padres), as well as outfielder Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota Twins), were the most recent players to make their MLB debut during the playoffs in 2020.

What time is Tigers vs Guardians Game 2?