Top Guardians prospect DeLauter undergoes surgery, out 8-12 wks

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chase DeLauter, an outfielder for the Guardians regarded as one of the team’s most promising prospects, underwent surgery on Tuesday to mend a sports hernia. This procedure is expected to sideline him for the first few months of the upcoming season.

DeLauter, a previous first-round draft choice, incurred a bilateral core muscle injury during a pregame workout on February 28th. Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia examined him on Monday, identifying the sports hernia and advising surgical intervention.

The Guardians announced that DeLauter, who was projected to begin the season with Triple-A Columbus, will return to Arizona this week to initiate his rehabilitation process. Recovery timelines for this type of injury usually range from 8 to 12 weeks before athletes can resume playing.

During the last season, DeLauter achieved a batting average of .261, along with eight home runs and 24 RBIs across three minor league tiers. Part of this performance was with the Columbus team, where the ex-James Madison University star maintained a .304 average, hit two home runs, and logged seven RBIs over 23 at-bats.