David Fry played a key role in the Cleveland Guardians’ ALCS run during the 2024 season. Unfortunately, he needed Tommy John surgery last winter, which delayed his start to the 2025 campaign.

Even when Fry returned, he didn’t look like the same player he was before the injury. In 157 plate appearances, Fry logged a .171/.229/.363 slash line with an alarming strikeout rate of 36.9 percent.

As bad as the 2025 season was for Fry, he still could be in a position to have a bounce-back season in 2026, and here are a few reasons why.

Full Offseason Of Prep, Not Rehab

Last offseason, Fry wasn’t able to prepare and build off his 2024 All-Star season. Instead, he underwent elbow surgery and spent the rest of the winter rehabbing from the procedure.

Because of the procedure, Fry wasn’t able to do any work to prepare for the 2025 campaign, but was just focusing on getting back on the field.

This year is different. Yes, Fry did undergo surgery again this winter after breaking his nose on a Tarik Skubal fastball hit by pitch, but that is much different than undergoing a procedure on a player’s throwing arm. Fry should truly get time to prepare for the upcoming season.

This includes getting a full spring training to ramp up for the year, instead of a rehab assignment at Triple-A in May.

Fry Can Play The Field

What made Fry so valuable in 2024 was his ability to play just about any position: outfield, infield, and even catcher. Because of his elbow injury, he didn’t play the field at all last season, and it was clear his overall game was affected because of it.

With Fry actually being able to play across the diamond again in 2026, he’ll be more involved in the game and could even see an uptick in his offensive output because of it. 

Fry Will Be Healthy

Even when Fry was activated onto the big-league roster and was available as a pinch-hitter and designated hitter, he wasn’t 100 percent in terms of health. He may have been well enough to play, but Fry was still working through a throwing program to build up the strength in his elbow.

Again, that time rehabbing was time not spent on developing and working on his swing. Fry should be completely healthy in 2026 and will hopefully not have to worry about his elbow, but the games and series he has in front of him.