Chase DeLauter will become the sixth player in MLB history to make his big-league debut in a playoff game when he starts for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday.
The Guardians released their lineup for the game, with DeLauter hitting seventh and playing center field.
Per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, DeLauter is the first player in franchise history to make his MLB debut in the postseason.
The Guardians opened up the possibility for DeLauter to debut in the postseason when they included him on their 26-man roster for this series prior to Game 1 on Tuesday.
DeLauter was part of the taxi squad leading up to the series. Manager Stephen Vogt told reporters on Monday that the coaching staff and front office were “still trying to figure out exactly what we want the roster to look like.”
After Wednesday’s lineup came out, Vogt praised DeLauter’s preternatural hitting ability as the primary reason the Guardians feel comfortable trusting him in this spot.
Per MLB.com’s David Adler, there have been five players who made their MLB debut in the playoffs prior to DeLauter.
The group includes Mark Kiger of the Oakland Athletics (2006); Adalberto Mondesi with the Kansas City Royals (2015); Alex Kirilloff with the Minnesota Twins (2020); Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays (2020); and Ryan Weathers of the San Diego Padres (2020).
Kirilloff is the only position player from that group who actually started a game.
DeLauter, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2022 draft, almost certainly would have been called up by Cleveland prior to this if not for a series of injuries that limited him to a total of 138 games in the minors since the start of 2023.
MLB.com has DeLauter currently ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect. He hit .278/.383/.476 with five homers in 34 games at Triple-A this season.
Dating back to 2023, DeLauter owns a .302/.384/.504 slash line in the minors.
The Guardians are looking for any offensive production they can find in an attempt to keep their season alive, but starting DeLauter in center field is a huge task, especially given his history of foot and leg injuries.
After Tarik Skubal allowed one run in 7.2 innings in Detroit’s 2-1 win on Tuesday, the Tigers will send right-hander Casey Mize to the mound.
DeLauter, a left-handed hitter, had tremendous success against right-handed pitching in the minors. He posted an .889 OPS against righties in 130 plate appearances during the 2024 season.
The Guardians will host the Tigers at Progressive Field in Game 2 at 1:08 p.m. ET. A Cleveland win will force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday. A Tigers victory will send them to the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners starting on Saturday.
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