David Fry, when healthy, is the most active Guardians position player. But while he's rehabbing from Tommy John, he's been relegated to DH duties.
CLEVELAND — David Fry misses his many gloves, like a group of old friends who have sadly fallen out of touch.
Fry, returning from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, is again available as a hitter in the lineup, but he's still not to the point of being able to play the field.
Normally he catches, he plays right field, he plays first base. That means in his locker on any given day are a catcher's mitt, an outfielder's glove and a first baseman's glove.
When fully healthy, he's the most active Guardians position player with the highest number of gloves to carry and meetings to attend. He's often involved in almost everything, just switching back and forth between defensive positions to keep his bat in the lineup. Last year, he also secured his first All-Star selection.
This season has been much quieter. His right elbow needed more time to recover before he can throw in the field compared to when he could swing a bat, so he's still exclusively acting as a designated hitter.
"Yeah, I like to think of myself as a baseball player. Hitting is only half of baseball," Fry said when asked if he was missing playing the field. "I absolutely love being active. Playing the game is really fun. I miss it at times."
David Fry injury update
Fry noted he's throwing out to 90 feet. There's a chance he could play first base in the coming weeks, but appearing as a catcher this season won't be happening. He also couldn't catch toward the end of last year.
"[The arm] feels really solid, just taking it day-by-day," Fry said. "Obviously last year it didn't feel good, was trying to keep it holding on by a thread, but no, it feels strong. Everything seems to be going really well."
The goal is for the Guardians to not only protect Fry's arm, but allow him to transition easier between positions when the time comes for him to be back to normal. That means finding an arm slot that that doesn't require a total overhaul every other day.
"The main problem solving was to give him an arm stroke where he can go out and play a variety of different positions, so he doesn't have to change it when he goes behind the plate, change it when he goes to the outfield," said associate head coach Craig Albernaz. "His arm stroke is really clean right now."
When Fry is fully healthy, it gives the Guardians a few layers of flexibility, as he can act as a utility man in the field and/or as a third catcher. It not only affords the Guardians depth to keep their catchers as fresh as possible, but they can also be more aggressive in pinch hitting or pinch running situations.
"It makes everything easier, interchangeable," Albernaz said. "Because now we can stagger the playing time … Having the third catcher allows you that cadence to get guys rest and days off. ... At the end of the day, it's such a grind with these guys, especially mentally."
The Guardians won't be able to enjoy that advantage in 2025. The goal is for Fry to be back to normal for Opening Day 2026. Only then will he feel like himself again.
"The big focus is, I like to think of myself as a catcher who plays other positions, so the big thing is being healthy enough to catch, and what that looks like [with my rehab]," Fry said. "I think the main thing is being ready to catch Day 1 next year."
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: David Fry progressing after injury, hopes to play defense for Guardians
Category: Baseball
