The Guardians announced that outfielder on Wednesday Chase DeLauter he was placed on the ten-day injured list. It was recently discovered that he has a small cut on his skin and will be taking time off. In a related move, Cleveland recalled an outfielder Kahlil Watson. He will make his league debut for the first time in a game.
DeLauter suffered the fracture Saturday when he hit the outside wall while following the course Gleyber Torres Fly ball. Cleveland also failed José Ramírez (hamate fracture) and Angel Martinez (broken feet) in that same game.
The Rangers have not yet determined how long DeLauter will remain on the injured list, but his loss removes one of their most talented bats from the lineup. Admittedly, DeLauter hasn’t shown much power since hitting five homers in the first seven games of the season, but even in the eight weeks since, the once-high prospect has posted a respectable .252/.333/.346 line with an 11.1% walk rate and an 11.9% strikeout rate.
With DeLauter out of the picture, the 23-year-old Watson will get his first appearance in the big leagues. (Yes, even though this is his debut, he’s technically “remembered” in MLB terms because he’s on the 40-man roster and thus had to be optioned to Triple-A at the end of camp.) It’s been a bumpy road for the 2021 No. 1 overall pick. 16, who was selected by the Marlins instead, he quickly went down to the top, and eventually went down by consensus. almost immediately.
Watson completed Rookie ball coverage in nine games following that 2021 draft pick (.394/.524/.606) but slugged .231/.296/.395 in A-ball the following season. At 19 years old, he was young at this level, but his 35.5% strikeout rate was very concerning. Watson hit just .206/.337/.362 in High-A the following season before being traded to Cleveland as part of the Josh Bell/Jean Segura contract exchange.
As Watson struggled at the plate in the minors, he continued to slide down the defensive spectrum. He hasn’t played shortstop since his Marlins days, and Guardian’s early alliances with him at second base and third base didn’t stick. Watson has played only the outfield the past two seasons, splitting time between all three positions.
On the other hand, though, the one-time top prospect’s bat is coming alive. Watson hit .250/.346/.467 with 16 homers and 17 steals in 102 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year. That was enough for Cleveland to select him from the 40-man roster, thus protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. He’s off to a .255/.370/.491 start (12 homers, 15 steals) in just 56 games this year.
It’s an encouraging result, but Watson’s penchant for whiffs remains a prominent area of concern. He made 27.7% plate appearances last season and dropped 28% of his trips to the batter’s box in 2026. His 71.8% contact rate in Triple-A is well shy of the major league average of 77%.
Still, Watson will get a chance to make an impact on a suddenly depleted roster. Injuries compounded by the former All-Star Steven Kwan was one of the least impactful hitters of the past calendar year. Meanwhile, utilityman Daniel Schneemann – who is running on the field – has cooled off after a hot start. Former outfield prospect George Valera recently assigned. One of the Guardian’s top former prospects, the former is an elite player/outfielder CJ Kayfusdoesn’t hit in Triple-A.
Cleveland’s offense tends to be a concern year after year, as the club rarely spends surrounding Ramirez with quality bats. The rash of injuries, coupled with poor performances from Kwan, Valera, Kayfus and others, was at the heart of Anthony Franco’s latest episode of MLBTR, where he explored the reasons Cleveland will need to add an outfield bat this summer if the team hopes to stay in contention.
