CLEVELAND -- When Stephen Vogt was asked about David Fry at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., this month, the Guardians’ manager provided an encouraging update.
Fry was struck on the face by a Tarik Skubal offering on Sept. 23, while he was squared around on a bunt attempt. Progressive Field fell to a hush, and the injury ultimately ended Fry’s season and later required him to undergo facial surgery.
“I'm just excited that David is going to be healthy,” Vogt said at the Winter Meetings. “Obviously avoided a big scare there at the end of the year. That was a scary moment, so thankfully he's OK.”
The hit by pitch marked a frightening end to the season for Fry, who played 66 games coming off offseason Tommy John surgery. It was a trying year for him, but Fry was in good spirits in the immediate aftermath of his injury and also looking forward.
“That’s part of it,” Fry said on Sept. 28. “You don’t get a testimony if things are easy, and things my entire career haven't been easy, so that just makes the story even better. It’ll be super exciting to get back to playing next year.”
The Guardians are excited about what Fry could contribute.
Fry earned his first All-Star nod in 2024, when he hit .263/.356/.448 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs in 122 games. He was extremely valuable defensively while playing catcher, first and third base, and left and right field.
Due to his throwing program post-Tommy John surgery, Fry was limited to DH and pinch-hitting duties in 2025. Even for a chunk of ‘24, he was exclusively a DH, first baseman or pinch-hitter. Fry’s final appearance elsewhere that season came on July 20, when he played one inning at third base.
Next season, the 30-year-old will be ready to catch and bounce around the diamond as needed.
“David healthy, him being able to catch and play the field a little bit, too, probably, it just adds a completely different dynamic to our team,” Vogt said. “I think it's going to alleviate a lot of the pressure he was putting on himself to only produce at the plate for really over a year.”
That makes Fry a natural candidate to bounce back offensively in 2026.
Fry only took 157 plate appearances in ‘25, and 120 of those came against left-handed pitching. Overall, he slashed .171/.229/.363 with eight homers and 23 RBIs. From 2024-25, his strikeout rate increased from 21.4 percent to 36.9 percent, and his walk rate fell from 10.7 percent to 5.7 percent.
Beyond the surface numbers, Fry’s underlying metrics had some sources of encouragement. His average exit velocity (88.7 mph) was right in line with where it was in 2024 (88.3 mph). His hard-hit rate (39.8 percent) also increased from ‘24 (37.6 percent).
Fry having no limitations on his playing time could help alleviate the potential pressure to produce that Vogt noted. Him getting back on track also would be huge for the Guardians, given his past success against left-handed pitching.
Fry had a .996 OPS against southpaws in 2024, which ranked sixth among qualified hitters. The Guardians struggled collectively at the plate in ‘25, but that included a .647 OPS against lefties that ranked 27th in MLB.
The defensive impact that Fry could have also cannot be overstated. Most teams don’t carry three catchers because it limits the flexibility on their depth chart. But Fry is a unique luxury who allows the Guardians to pinch-hit, pinch-catch and move their pieces around more freely than most teams can.
Cleveland looks forward to Fry returning to his full form in 2026.
“David having a full winter, healthy, completed the [throwing] rehab,” Vogt said, “it's going to be really exciting to be able to use him the way his skill set is intended.”