GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- David Fry hopped out of his crouch in the bullpen at the Guardians’ player development complex on Friday and trotted toward Logan Allen. The two shared a fist bump, smiles and conversation following their work as a catcher-pitcher battery.
Fry is back to full-go for the Guardians this spring, hitting and fielding, after he was limited to the former in 2025 during his recovery from offseason Tommy John surgery. Through the early days of Spring Training, he’s finding enjoyment in details big and small while relishing his return to the full version of himself.
“Oh my gosh, yeah,” Fry said. “I can just look at the board, and I just follow all the catchers instead of having my own little schedule, like, ‘OK this is where the hurt guys go.’ It's so much fun.”
Above all else, Fry is happy to feel as well as he does physically.
“I can finally rip a baseball without wondering, ‘Is this going to hurt my elbow, and how bad?’” he said. “I can just go out and play. It’s so much fun.”
In 66 games last season, Fry appeared exclusively as a DH or pinch-hitter, mostly against left-handed pitching, while he completed his post-surgery throwing program. He finished that progression near the end of the regular season, which was ultimately a turbulent time for him.
Fry was struck on the face by a Tarik Skubal offering on Sept. 23, and it marked the end of his season. He remained with the Guardians through their three-game postseason run, but underwent surgery for facial fractures in October.
Fry fortunately needed just a few weeks to recover; it was a quick turnaround to Oct. 30, when his wife, Rebekah, gave birth to their second daughter, Harper Rose. Fry ultimately was able to have a normal offseason to prepare for a normal 2026.
“I'm just so excited,” Fry said. “It was awesome that I got to be part of that run last year [to the AL Central title] and still get to play, even though I was coming back from injury. But this year will be way better with just getting to be a full baseball player.”
Guardians fans know what a full version of Fry can provide. He can catch and play each of the corner outfield and the corner infield spots. That’s valuable versatility to have in any player, certainly when it’s from a third catcher, which many teams don’t carry on their roster.
Fry had a tough 2025 season at the plate, recording a .171/.229/.363 slash line with eight homers and a 36.9 strikeout rate (up from 21.4 percent in ‘24). But with his playing time limited, there was perhaps understandable pressure to deliver in his limited chances at the plate.
During his All-Star 2024 season, Fry slashed .263/.356/.448 with 14 homers and 51 RBIs in 392 plate appearances over 122 games. He was also stellar against left-handed pitching, logging a .996 OPS that ranked sixth in the Majors among qualified hitters.
“I would really try to make it a process of just like, ‘All right, it's a normal day. Get ready to pinch-hit and execute a plan,’” Fry said of his 2025 mindset. “But … yeah at times it’s like, ‘OK, well, I may get one at-bat the next three days against this lefty reliever. I need to impact the game,’ where in reality, a walk would impact the game greatly
“But I was like, ‘I need to hit a double or something.’ Not as an excuse, but it was definitely something that would creep into my mind at times.”
Fry reemerging as a key piece for the Guardians this year would be significant. He’s one of just four right-handed hitters on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, and the club struggled against lefties last season (.647 OPS, 27th in MLB). Fry’s presence could be especially key against the rival Tigers, who have two of the best left-handed starters in MLB in Skubal and Framber Valdez.
Fry will spend the first chunk of Spring Training mainly catching, and then move around the field the final weeks of camp to prepare for whatever manager Stephen Vogt needs during the regular season.
For now, Vogt is happy to see Fry back in full force.
“For the human being he is, the teammate he is,” Vogt said, “getting to watch him be free and clear with no restrictions, I couldn't be happier for David.”