Statistically, it should have been much worse.
When Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal drilled Guardians utility man David Fry in the face with a 99 mph pitch on Sept. 23, it could have been much — much — worse than it turned out.
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It’s one of the reasons why Fry had such a glaringly positive disposition for the whole thing when he spoke with local reporters a few days later, his face — a few extra shades of green and purple — wrapped in bandages.
An inch up, it could have cost Fry his eye. An inch down and he could have ended up with an astronomical dental bill. But there was Fry, still smiling a few days later like a boxer who won a split-decision. Nobody would want to face prime Mike Tyson, but a 99 mph fastball from Skubal is a pretty formidable opponent, too.
“Every doctor was [saying] I didn’t have a concussion but I should have had a concussion, should have had brain stuff, both orbital bones should have been broken,” Fry said at the team’s spring training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. “And then like, all the mouth stuff — but it was nothing. It was just a nose [fracture].”
David Fry injury update
Fry has been nearly bouncing around the club’s spring training complex, not just because he’s several months past the facial injuries that ended his 2025 season, but because he’s back to being able to play the field again.
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He returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025, but he was never the same, both mentally and in the box score. He couldn’t catch, couldn’t play anywhere defensively, and although he says the elbow didn’t really impact his swing, he just wasn’t moving in the same way as when he was an All-Star in 2024.
For the first time in a long time, Fry feels like himself.
“This offseason was amazing because of that,” Fry said with a sigh of relief as he answered. “I finally felt like just a normal baseball player, going to the field, doing my routine, throwing program, hitting, catching, going home.
“For the first time in like two years, it was, ‘All right, I can rip a baseball. I’m not going to worry about how bad this is going to hurt.'”
Cleveland Guardians’ David Fry celebrates in the dugout with teammates after scoring against the Detroit Tigers on July 22, 2024, in Cleveland.
David Fry stats
Fry was named an All-Star in 2024 while hitting .263 with an .804 OPS and playing all over the field. He destroyed lefties that year with a .996 OPS. Among hitters with at least 160 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, Fry’s 179 wRC+ ranked as the fifth-best in baseball in 2024.
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After returning from elbow surgery last year, he played in only 66 games and struggled to get going, posting just a .171/.229/.363 slash line.
His production became especially impactful considering the Guardians’ left-handed-heavy lineup, and Fry’s propensity for crushing lefties. His bat is one to keep opposing teams at least a little more honest when it comes to hurling every southpaw the Guardians’ way.
It was an element the Guardians sorely missed, particularly when Skubal’s fastball ended his chances of playing in the playoffs.
“How our season went last year, one of the biggest reasons it didn’t go as well as we wanted was we didn’t have him here and we didn’t have him in the playoffs,” said catcher Austin Hedges. “Having him for 162 [games] and in the playoffs, first of all it’s the presence and the energy he brings is unmatched. But then his bat in the lineup, we missed his all-star bat, and having him in the lineup is going to make us more dangerous.”
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How many at-bats Fry receives in 2026 remains to be seen, though it’s a sure thing that, if healthy, he’ll see solid time in the lineup against lefties. The Guardians have Bo Naylor and Hedges on the roster as catchers. At first base (along with DH), Kyle Manzardo will receive a lion’s share of the at-bats, and the Guardians recently added Rhys Hoskins, a right-handed option, to the mix.
Regardless, Fry just wanted to feel like a full baseball player again. He wanted to squat behind home plate and work with the pitchers on scouting reports. He wanted to throw it around the diamond. He wanted to stop having to worry about a setback. Being solely a designated hitter, unable to contribute in the variety of ways he had grown accustomed, left him feeling like he was only 50 percent back on the field.
He’s now back to being himself, and it was instantly evident to the Guardians coaching staff.
“I see a free David Fry,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Last year, throughout the whole season, it was like there were two David Frys. You had some 1 o’clock to 5 o’clock, it was rehabbing David Fry, [then it was] go DH tonight or go be ready to pinch hit.
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“For him to be a fully cleared baseball player who can play in the field, it’s gonna free up his mind and it’s gonna allow him to just go out and be David Fry.”
Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians’ David Fry feels like himself for the first time in 2 years