CLEVELAND -- Chase DeLauter was not in the Guardians’ starting lineup for their series opener against the Giants on Tuesday due to left hamstring tightness. However, the club's hope remains that this is just a short-term situation for the 24-year-old.
“He's feeling a lot better," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said pregame Tuesday. "We’re hoping that this continues just to be day to day."
That started with a full day off on Tuesday. DeLauter was unavailable off the bench, Vogt said after the Guardians' 8-1 win over the Giants at Progressive Field.
DeLauter felt what Vogt called a “cramping sensation” in his hamstring on his final warmup sprint on Sunday, when the Guardians lost, 5-0, to the Padres following a three-hour, 11-minute rain delay. DeLauter started the game in right field and took one at-bat, but was removed after the second inning for precautionary reasons.
DeLauter received treatment during the Guardians’ off-day on Monday and underwent an MRI that showed nothing alarming, Vogt noted.
“He’s feeling better each day,” Vogt said before Tuesday's game. “We’ll know more each day as we progress, but good news on Chase."
DeLauter, who was named American League Rookie of the Month in July, is in the midst of an impressive first big league season. Over 107 games, he has a .285/.358/.442 slash line with a team-leading 22 doubles, 13 home runs, 57 RBIs and 47 walks with 64 strikeouts.
Just as noteworthy has been DeLauter’s durability. He has already set a new professional career high in games played, after dealing with multiple injury setbacks in the Minors the past three years. He suffered a fracture in his right rib cage in June that led to an 11-day stint on the injured list, but has otherwise been a consistent and key presence in Cleveland’s lineup.
Given all that, the Guardians will be mindful here.
Jo Adell started in right field against San Francisco on Tuesday. The Guardians also have Angel Martínez as an option in right field. He’s made 37 appearances (including 24 starts) in right this season.
Adell went 3-for-4 with a home run and a career-high six RBIs on Tuesday, but he exited entering the eighth inning due to a left knee contusion, after he fouled a ball off himself in the first. That added another layer of concern to the position player mix. The Guardians have been thoughtful about José Ramírez's workload since he returned from left hamate surgery last month.
"We're pretty banged up right now," Vogt said postgame Tuesday. "We're pretty banged up on the position player side. We've got a lot of guys we're monitoring."