CLEVELAND -- Back in Spring Training, the Guardians didn’t necessarily know where David Fry fit on this roster. All they knew was that they wanted him to fit.

It was clear from the moment they knew they had to option him to Triple-A Columbus to start the season, but they refused to let him leave big league camp. His defensive versatility was impressive and allowed them to use him all over the field to continue to get at-bats in Cactus League games. But when Spring Training came to an end, Fry had to join the Minor League roster.

It took all of a month before the Guardians needed a versatile player like Fry and since then, he’s proven that he’s earned his spot on the Major League roster. Delivering his second walk-off hit in Cleveland's 9-8 victory over Baltimore on Friday at Progressive Field was the icing on the cake for his impressive 2023 campaign.

Even though the Guardians bounced back and took the win after closer Emmanuel Clase blew his 12th save of the season in the top of the ninth, the team was officially eliminated from postseason contention, as the Twins defeated the Angels to clinch the AL Central title. But that doesn’t mean Cleveland can’t take advantage of these final games to build for 2024. And Fry has forced himself into the picture for next season.

A utility role is usually filled by a veteran -- one who has experience getting inconsistent playing time and has learned how to stay ready no matter what the situation is. Instead, the Guardians relied on Fry, who made his MLB debut on May 1, to fill that role.

He’s played first, third, catcher, right field, left field, and he’s been Cleveland’s emergency reliever in two different blowouts this season to save the bullpen.

“It’s been a lot, but our coaching staff is so good,” Fry said. “And the hitting coaches, when you’re not getting a lot of at-bats, they do a great job of keeping you prepared and making sure you’re ready so when you do get called in, you’re ready to go.”

Fry's .232 average or .713 OPS may not be the most attention-grabbing on the roster, but he’s been one of the most reliable hitters in the lineup when it matters most. He's hitting .320 with a 1.113 OPS with runners in scoring position. Entering the day, his OPS in late and close situations was .932.

Fry added another big hit in a late and close situation on Friday after coming into the game in the fifth to replace catcher Bo Naylor (right thumb bruise).

The Guardians had just gone down by one run in the top of the ninth and Andrés Giménez led off the bottom half of the frame with a double. Gabriel Arias moved him to third with a groundout to second and Will Brennan, who had a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh, was intentionally walked to get to Fry.

“They want to set up a double play and Will already had a huge hit earlier in the game and they don’t want to pitch to him,” Fry said. “Yeah, you take [the intentional walk] personally, but you just got to stay within your approach and try to get a hit.”

Fry took the first pitch he saw from Orioles reliever Yennier Cano and sent it off the left-center-field wall to score two runs, and a herd of his teammates chased him down at second base to celebrate.

“And that’s not an easy thing to do -- to go in and catch,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “For him to get that hit, that was terrific.”

What the Guardians have seen of Fry this season has all but guaranteed him a spot on the 2024 roster. It was clear in Spring Training when Francona took every chance he could to rave about the potential Fry could have that there was hope this was the player he could become.

Over the summer, Francona realized that Fry was becoming just that and pulled him aside for a conversation.

“I was like, 'David, think about where you’ve been in your career and where you are now,'” Francona recalled. “He’s kind of carving out a nice little niche for himself. Guy’s gonna have a pretty good career like that.

“I’m surprised it took this long, but guys mature at different times. Maybe he didn’t get a chance before. But he’s made the most of it.”