Guardians notes: Are minor leaguers Chase DeLauter and C.J. Kayfus ready to help in the majors?

CLEVELAND — Chase DeLauter and C.J. Kayfus are tearing it up in the minor leagues. Does that mean they are ready to help the offensively-challenged Guardians in the majors? "I'm not an evaluator, you know what I mean?" manager Stephen Vogt said prior to Cleveland's game against Toronto at Progressive Field on Wednesday. "We have people. That's what they do. To me, it's the swing quality. It's the swing decisions, the plays they're making in the outfield, just the at-bat quality for me, is really what it is." The 23-year-olds, DeLauter and Kayfus, have certainly displayed as much at the Triple-A level, where DeLauter was batting .312 with a .957 OPS, three homers, 13 RBIs and 18 walks in 22 games through Tuesday since returning from sports hernia surgery in March. Kayfus began the season at Double-A Akron but was quickly promoted, entering Wednesday with a .306 batting average, eight homers, 27 RBIs and a .934 OPS in 45 games for the Clippers. He has grand slams in each of his last two games. "The numbers in the minor leagues sometimes can be skewed either way," Vogt said. "Just like here, the stat line doesn't tell the whole story. It's looking at all the same things we look at with our players and then making a decision on what's best for our team." DeLauter has been plagued by injuries in each of his three years in the organization since being drafted by Cleveland in the first round (16th overall) in 2022. Kayfus, a third-round pick in 2023, spent last year between Class A Lake County and Akron, entering the season as the Guardians' No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com. Comeback trail Right-hander Shane Beiber (right elbow surgery) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and reported no issues. "He felt really good. He's very encouraged," Vogt said. The next step for Bieber is to begin another rehab assignment, which could come as early as Friday at Akron. ** Reliever Paul Sewald (right shoulder strain) made his first rehab appearance Tuesday, allowing a hit and striking out one during a scoreless inning for Akron. ** Right-hander Trevor Stephan (right elbow surgery) also pitched for the RubberDucks on Tuesday, throwing two shutout innings and allowing one hit with two strikeouts. "Everybody that threw (Tuesday) felt good, and (Erik) Sabrowski (left elbow inflammation) threw today in (Triple-A) Columbus. Haven't seen a report yet, but watched his outing and he looked good," Vogt said. It's go time Of Kyle Manzardo's 12 home runs through Tuesday, five had come on the first pitch. "I think it's a byproduct of a lot of things, but Manzo is ready to hit and when the pitch is where he wants it, when he gets it, he hasn't missed it very much," Vogt said. "He's ready to go. I think that's really what it means. You better make a quality first pitch or he is going to hit it hard." Roundin' third Jose Ramirez played in his 1,527th game for Cleveland on Wednesday, moving past Jim Hegan for the fourth-most in franchise history. He trails Lou Boudreau (1,560), Nap Lajoie (1,615) and Terry Turner (1,626). ** Guardians catchers Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges had thrown out 18 runners attempting to steal through Tuesday, the third-most in the American League. ** Thursday, 1:10, Guardians TV; WOBL 1320-AM and 107.7-FM, WTAM 1100-AM. Bibee (4-7, 3.86) vs. Gausman (5-6, 4.60). Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on X @CAwesomeheimer.