CLEVELAND -- Guardians designated hitter David Fry suffered multiple fractures on Tuesday during a frightening moment at Progressive Field, when he was struck in the face by a 99.1 mph four-seam fastball thrown by Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal.
In providing an update on Fry’s condition on Wednesday, the Guardians noted Fry suffered multiple “minimally displaced left-sided facial and nasal fractures.” According to the team, Fry will require close monitoring and several assessments. The 29-year-old fortunately is expected to fully recover in 6-8 weeks without the need for surgery.
Fry was discharged from the Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday and is resting comfortably, the team said. His family is on its way to Cleveland to be with him. The Guardians placed him on the 10-day injured list Wednesday afternoon and recalled Johnathan Rodríguez from Triple-A Columbus.
Manager Stephen Vogt and a number of Guardians went to visit Fry at the Cleveland Clinic Tuesday night -- as did Skubal, who caught a ride with Vogt. Fry was in good spirits, all things considered.
“There were a number of us that went over there. It was just to go see him, just to go check on him,” Vogt said. “With his family not being here, you want to make sure [he’s OK]. … We left feeling like he's himself. He's injured, and he's hurting. He's in a ton of pain. But as far as life goes, he's going to be OK.
“Anytime with a head injury, you worry about the long-term effects of that. But he's been cleared of any kind of brain, head type stuff. So that's really what matters. Broken bones heal -- not to mean he's not going to be in pain. But we’re all really, really happy that David's OK.”
Progressive Field fell silent in the sixth inning, during what ultimately was a go-ahead three-run Guardians rally. Fry was squared around to bunt when he was struck by the inside offering from Skubal. The Tigers’ ace was immediately visibly shaken up; Skubal tossed his hat and glove on the ground and put both hands on his head.
Fry was immediately tended to by team trainers Jeff Desjardins and Chad Wolfe and team doctor Kim Stearns, before he was carted off the field. He gestured toward Skubal to let him know he was OK, and later joked that he should have pulled his bat back.
Skubal texted Fry postgame Tuesday to check in on him. He then got in touch with Vogt, who was headed to the hospital, and caught a ride with the Guardians’ skipper in order to apologize to Fry in person.
"[Fry] texted me back this morning and said thanks for coming,” Skubal said. “It meant a lot. Not that that's why I went; I wasn't going there for that. I was going there just to make sure he was all right. I mean, this is a game, but we're all humans. [Stuff] like that happens, that's real life stuff, not baseball game stuff."
“Tarik Skubal is an unbelievable human,” Vogt said. “... Yes, we're competing. Yes, it's important when we're out on the field. But some things are bigger than baseball.”
Skubal said he met Fry at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, when both players earned their first career nods. The Guardians had five All-Stars last year, and Skubal could tell from that experience how tight-knit Cleveland’s group was. He grew familiar with Fry’s story.
Fry was a seventh-round pick in 2018 who made his MLB debut on May 1, 2023, when he was 27 years old. Skubal was a ninth-round pick in the Draft that year.
“From what I've heard across the way, he's kind of a leader in that clubhouse and a guy that everyone kinda roots for,” Skubal said. “If you look at his story, too, not a high [Draft] pick, kind of grinded his way, was an All-Star in his rookie year or second season in the big leagues or whatever.
“Yeah, his story's pretty cool, and unfortunately through this circumstance, I'll probably get to know him a little bit better, which might be a positive to bring out of this."
The Guardians scored three runs in the sixth after Fry exited. Skubal threw a wild pitch that tied the game at two, and Gabriel Arias hit a go-ahead RBI groundout to first base moments later.
“I felt like our guys really hunkered down,” Vogt said. “Then after the game, it was kind of somber. Everybody was excited about the win, obviously, but worried about our guy.”