Chase DeLauter makes unexpected exit from Guardians lineup against Padres

GuardiansChase DeLauter exited Sunday's game against the Padres in the third inning.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comCLEVELAND, Ohio — Chase DeLauter exited Sunday’s game against the Padres in the third inning for an undisclosed reason, a potentially significant development for a Guardians lineup that has leaned heavily on the rookie in recent weeks. DeLauter made a catch on Manny Machado’s fly ball in the first inning and popped out to shortstop Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the inning. He also tracked Gavin Sheets’ home run to the warning track in the second but did not appear compromised as the ball cleared the wall. A reason for his departure has not been announced by the Guardians. Cleveland trailed San Diego, 2-0, at the time of DeLauter’s exit. Angel Martínez replaced DeLauter in the lineup, talking over in left field as Jo Adell moved from left to right to replace DeLauter.Colin Holderman’s wrist injury adds another concern for bullpen – Guardians takeawaysChase DeLauter has advice for Cardinals rookie Joshua Báez after historic 3-homer debutGuardians-Padres series finale start time updated after storms hit Progressive FieldDeLauter entered Sunday as one of Cleveland’s hottest hitters, batting .345 (19-for-55) with two home runs, six RBI and a .919 OPS in 13 games in August. He had multiple hits in six of his previous nine games and carried a team-best 13-game on-base streak into the finale. Since returning from a cracked right rib that sidelined him for two weeks in June, DeLauter was batting .321 with an .884 OPS in 40 games.The 24-year-old has quickly become a key part of Cleveland’s lineup in his rookie season. DeLauter entered Sunday batting .286 with an .801 OPS, 13 home runs and 57 RBI, ranking second among American League rookies in both hits (115) and RBI and third with 178 total bases. He also led the Guardians with 35 multi-hit games and 36 extra-base hits and had reached safely in 91 of his first 106 games.Joe Noga has more than 25 years experience in Cleveland sports media with time spent covering Browns, Cavaliers and Indians/Guardians, as well as local high school and college sports and athletes. He covered a...This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.