Guardians' Chase DeLauter Turns in Magical Opening Day Performance

This was a night he'll never forget

Mar 26, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Last year, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter added his name to the short list of players to make their major league debuts during the postseason. But now, the 24-year-old made his regular-season debut on Opening Day—and he didn't disappoint.

DeLauter, Cleveland's No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 46 overall prospect for 2026, went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored in the Guardians' 6-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Most notably, though, the 2022 first-round draft pick launched two home runs in the first regular-season game of his big league career.

The left-handed outfielder got things started by knocking in Cleveland's first run of the 2026 season with his solo shot in the first inning off Seattle's All-Star pitcher, Logan Gilbert. Then, with the Guardians up 5-4 in the ninth inning, DeLauter gave Cleveland an important insurance run by crushing his second big league blast. His second solo homer of the day traveled 422 feet and had an exit velocity of 111.1 mph.

Chase DeLauter adds an instant spark to the Guardians' offense

Mar 26, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (24) scores a run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Even though this was just one game, Cleveland fans were likely thrilled to start the season by seeing some game-changing offensive production from someone other than José Ramírez, who also chipped in with two RBIs on Thursday. But for anyone who kept an eye on DeLauter during spring training, his memorable regular-season debut likely wasn't as much of a surprise.

The 24-year-old turned plenty of heads in the preseason after producing 17 hits and three homers in 37 spring training at-bats, which was good enough for a .459 batting average and 1.373 OPS. The offensive numbers have been there for DeLauter throughout his minor league career, where he has a .302 batting average with 20 home runs in 138 games played. But the biggest question will be whether the 2022 first-round pick can stay healthy after dealing with numerous injuries over the past few years.

While the Guardians decided to have top prospect Travis Bazzana start the 2026 season in the minors, this Opening Day performance from DeLauter likely has plenty of Cleveland fans dreaming about what kind of damage the two of them could do together in the big league lineup.