CLEVELAND — The 2024 campaign just ended, but the Guardians have already suffered their first significant blow of 2025.
The team announced Monday that All-Star David Fry underwent right elbow surgery last week in Dallas. The 28-year-old had been feeling discomfort in that part of his arm since early summer, and after serving as Cleveland's super utility man and backup catcher for the first part of the year wound up only DH-ing and playing first base sparingly after July 23.
According to the club, Dr. Keith Meister diagnosed Fry with "a chronically insufficient ulnar collateral ligament with a resolving flexor strain." The surgeon then performed what was described as "a hybrid/internal brace" procedure on the elbow, and with proper recovery, Fry would be expected to hit in games again six to eight months from now.
That would put Fry out of action until at least this coming May, meaning he would miss the first month of the 2025 season if not longer. To make matters worse, it will likely be another year until Fry is able to play in the field again, so he may very well be limited to designated and pinch-hitting duties throughout all of next year.
Considered a toss-up to even make the roster out of spring training, Fry ended up providing a major boost to the Guards' offense, belting 14 home runs and tallying 54 RBIs while finishing second on the team in OPS (.804) and OPS+ (128). A hot first half also caught the attention of his peers, who voted him onto the American League All-Star team as a reserve.
Fry's numbers at the plate slumped a bit as he dealt with the elbow issues, but even in a platoon DH role in the postseason, he still made a memorable impact: His go-ahead homer in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers helped propel the Guardians to an eventual division series win, and his walk-off blast in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees supplied one of the most dramatic moments in Progressive Field history.
With Fry unable to play behind the plate, veteran Austin Hedges was forced into the full-time backup catcher's role. Though he and Bo Naylor mostly held down the fort defensively, they combined to hit just .187 during the regular season, along with .147 (5 for 34) in the playoffs.
Aside from Fry's surgery, the Guardians also announced relief pitcher James Karinchak has elected free agency after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Columbus. The right-hander was a key member of Cleveland's bullpen for parts of five seasons but struggled with his command, at times, and did not pitch in the majors at all this past season due to shoulder problems.