The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a major offensive problem halfway through the 2025 season, and their struggling outfield sits right at the heart of it. If they’re serious about making a postseason push, they need to make a move soon.
Here’s the thing though – they might not need to look outside the organization for help.
During a recent segment on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, Joe Noga dropped some pretty significant news about top prospect Chase DeLauter.
“Over the weekend, for the first time, really, we heard from Chris Antonetti saying that as far as development goes, as far as major league readiness goes, Chase DeLauter, the organization’s number two overall prospect, is major league ready. It’s just finding an opportunity for him to get out there and play.”
That’s a huge development. DeLauter ranks as the 45th-ranked prospect in baseball and Cleveland’s second-ranked prospect. While this isn’t exactly a call-up announcement, it sounds like the Guardians are pretty close to pulling the trigger.
And honestly, it’s hard to argue against it.
Lane Thomas and Nolan Jones have both struggled this season, along with everyone else who’s gotten a shot in right field. The Guardians made finding a long-term outfield solution a trade deadline priority, but promoting from within might be the smartest move.
DeLauter’s healthy and absolutely crushing Triple-A pitching with a .902 OPS. At this point, there isn’t much more he can prove down there.
The way Noga tells it, the organization seems ready to make the call – it’s more about timing and logistics now. DeLauter would likely step right into Jones’s spot in right field, which should be an immediate upgrade.
The calls for DeLauter and fellow top prospect C.J. Kafus got even louder after Cleveland’s recent six-game homestand, where the offense managed just a .176 batting average. That’s the kind of performance that forces front offices to act.
All things considered, this report from Noga suggests the Guardians are moving toward bringing up their second-ranked prospect sooner rather than later. With the offense struggling and DeLauter ready to contribute, it seems like a matter of when, not if.
