Carefree and 'prettier than ever,' Fry plays catcher for first time since '24

MESA, Ariz. -- David Fry really wanted to throw the ball on Sunday afternoon. But the Guardians’ catcher ran into a slight problem during a 6-0 win over the A’s at Hohokam Stadium: His pitchers weren’t allowing much traffic on the bases for him to contest would-be basestealers.

“But as soon as somebody got on base,” Fry said, “I was like, ‘I just want to back-pick somebody. I just want to throw the ball and be back to [being] a normal catcher.’”

Fry put that plan in motion in the bottom of the second inning. He tried to back-pick Jeff McNeil at first base after the A’s infielder drew a walk against Guardians starter Parker Messick. McNeil (who was only a couple of feet off the bag) made it back safely with ease.

You can understand Fry’s eagerness. His start behind the plate on Sunday marked his first appearance at catcher in any game setting since July 23, 2024, and his first since he underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during the ‘24-25 offseason.

Fry caught three Cleveland pitchers over his five innings of work: Messick, Codi Heuer and Will Dion. They allowed just one hit and four walks between them.

“So cool, after a long rehab process, being able to get back there,” Fry said. “[Messick is] obviously really, really good. But the boys threw really, really well. It made my job a lot easier. It was just a lot of fun to be back out there.”

Fry made his 2025 debut on June 1, but he was limited to only hitting throughout the season as he continued his throwing program post-surgery. It was a long process, but he entered camp feeling great physically. He’s now able to throw a baseball without worrying how his elbow will feel after.

Fry is grateful he’s back catching. He also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, while he was in college. More recently, over the offseason, he underwent surgery to repair facial fractures after he was struck on the face by a 99.1 mph Tarik Skubal fastball on Sept. 23.

“Two TJs and a broken face, and I get to go back out there and catch and throw. [Sunday] was so cool,” Fry quipped, while adding his face is “great, healed up and prettier than ever.”

Fry’s arm looked strong on Sunday. Messick got a called strike on a 1-0 offering to Tyler Soderstrom in the first, and he made a slight leap to catch Fry’s return throw. Soderstrom was rung up on strikes later in the sequence, which ended the inning. Fry fired a throw to Daniel Schneemann, which the third baseman reached up to snag.

“His arm looks incredible,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “His throw-downs in-between innings were strong, on the money. He did the one back-pick. He was itching for somebody to run.

“It's been a couple years for David where he's had to think about how bad his elbow is going to hurt. For him to be able to just throw, not worry about it, that was really fun.”

The Guardians are stoked to have Fry back as a fielder this year. Teams don’t often carry three catchers, and Fry’s presence (alongside Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges) affords Cleveland an ability to pinch-hit and move pieces around more freely than most teams.

Jacob Cozart was going to pinch-hit for Fry in the top of the sixth, but the inning ended one batter before he was due up on an Alfonsin Rosario strikeout. Cozart rushed back to the dugout to get his catcher’s gear on to take over for Fry behind the plate.

During Spring Training, many big league players leave games once their day of work is done. But Fry was still in uniform, and he picked up Cozart by catching Franco Aleman’s warmup pitches in the bottom of the sixth.

As Cozart came on the field, Fry ran off and shared a fist bump with Vogt, and the two also shared a special moment in the Guardians’ dugout.

“He gave me a hug in the dugout [and said], ‘Just really cool to see you back out there,’” Fry said. “He's a pretty special dude, and he knows what it's like to kind of go through some stuff in a playing career. Cool from him.”