Guardians management will have a difficult decision to make when Chase DeLauter returns from the injured list: What will DeLauter's return mean for Kahlil Watson?
Watson was promoted from Triple-A Columbus on June 17 when the Guardians placed DeLauter on the 10-day injured list with a small fracture in his right ribcage. Manager Stephen Vogt before the game with the Mariners on June 26 said, "DeLauter is trending very well. We're hoping he's going to be activated on this homestand."
DeLauter could be activated as soon as June 29, when the Guardians host the Rangers at Progressive Field or even before the series with the Mariners ends June 28.
The conundrum for President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and Vogt is DeLauter and Watson play the same position — right field.
Watson, a 23-year-old rookie acquired in 2023 from the Miami Marlins for Josh Bell when Watson was playing on the Marlins' High-A farm team, was a combined 0-for-12 in his first four games with the Guardians.
Watson hit safely in the four games he has played since the slow start heading into the June 27 game with the Mariners, going 6-for-13 in the stretch with one home run. He doubled in the first inning June 26 to drive in the Guardians' only run in a 3-1 loss to Seattle .
"He's been great since he got called up," Vogt said. "Anybody that goes through those first few games in the big leagues — it's a new world. The third deck, the big stadiums, facing names you recognize and see on TV. It's a change for everybody.
"But Kahlil, as soon as he got that hit Monday night, he put together quality at bat after quality at-bat."
Watson was at ease in front of his locker in the Guardians clubhouse after the June 26 loss to the Mariners in his first game at Progressive Field.
"I feel like I'm in a good spot," he said. "Continue to do my routines and keep trying to bring it. It shows hard work is paying off for all of us.
"It's not just one person. We have some young guys up here. We feed off each other. I think in the long run, we'll be fine."
Watson was referring to fellow rookies Travis Bazzana, DeLauter, Petey Halpin and Cooper Ingle. All five were together at one point or another in the Guardians farm system
In the end, Halpin will likely be the player optioned to Columbus when DeLauter is activated.
Sending Watson down with a team as offensively challenged as the Guardians would make the problem worse. Watson, with seven RBI in eight games, already has more than half the RBI (13) delivered by Steven Kwan in 74 games.
