David Fry was supposed to be one of Cleveland’s useful weapons this season, the kind of versatile bat that gives a manager options and punishes left-handed pitching. Instead, the 2024 All-Star has turned into a major problem for the Guardians.
That’s a sharp fall for a player who was a central figure in Cleveland’s 2024 run to the American League Championship Series. Fry not only broke through as a major leaguer and earned an All-Star nod, he finished that season with a 129 wRC+ and delivered one of the most memorable swings of the postseason, launching the home run that won Game 3 of the ALCS.
The version of Fry the Guardians have gotten since then has looked nothing like that player. After Tommy John surgery following the postseason, he missed the start of the 2025 season and has never really found his footing again. In 2026, the 30-year-old is hitting .184/.299/.340, coming on the heels of a 2025 season in which he batted .171 with a 63 wRC+.
The biggest issue is that Fry is supposed to be a lefty masher, and he’s not even doing that. He’s carrying an 80 wRC+ against left-handers this year, which leaves Cleveland with little reason to run him out there unless it’s for his versatility.
The recent stretch has been especially rough. As Guardians Prospective noted, “Cleveland Guardians’ David Fry since June 10th over 28 games and 63 plate appearances: AVG .073, OBP .190, SLG .236, OPS .427, wRC+ 22,”
That’s the kind of line that tells the whole story. Fry hasn’t just been cold; he’s been nearly unplayable over the last month and a half.
And if you zoom out to the post-surgery period, the numbers still don’t offer much comfort. “Cleveland Guardians’ David Fry since the start of the 2025 season over 135 games and 321 plate appearances: AVG .178, OBP .265, SLG .352, OPS .617, wRC+ 73,”
For Cleveland, the takeaway is simple: the Guardians need to be active before the trade deadline if they want to keep this season from slipping away. The need for a right-handed bat is obvious, and Fry’s struggles are a big reason why.
He doesn’t deserve all the blame, but he has become one of the key reasons the Guardians have had trouble against southpaws. It’s on the organization to find a real upgrade.
In Other News...
Guardians Suddenly Hold More Deadline Leverage Than Anyone Expected
The catching market around the deadline may have shifted in Clevelands favor, and not because of anything the Guardians did on the field. With one of the more obvious names at the position suddenly unavailable, clubs looking for help behind the plate may have to turn to the next tier of options, which puts a spotlight on Clevelands own pair of catchers. That is the kind of twist front offices notice quickly, especially when a team has multiple players who could fit different kinds of trade talks.
Bo Naylor and Cooper Ingle now sit in a more interesting spot than they did a few days ago. Naylor, who was sent to Triple-A in May, has put together a solid run there and still comes with years of control, while Ingle brings prospect appeal even as his long-term defensive home remains unsettled. For Cleveland, the question is no longer just whether either catcher has value, but whether a market thinned by one injury could push that value higher before the deadline arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Fans Just Got Another Reason To Worry About The Future
The Guardians are heading into the trade deadline with more than one roster question hanging over them, and the front office appears set to wait until the final stretch before making its biggest moves. Cleveland is reportedly looking to add a hitter, a familiar kind of deadline need for a club trying to keep its offense from stalling down the stretch, while the organization also has to keep one eye on the draft after a second-round pick announced he would not sign.
There was at least one brighter note around the franchise on the Hall of Fame side of things, where Paul Hoynes was honored with the Baseball Writers Career Excellence Award. Even so, the larger conversation around Cleveland is still about what comes next, and whether the team can turn a tense few days into help for a lineup that clearly needs it. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Deadline Plans Just Took A Brutal Turn At The Plate
Spencer Steers injury in Cincinnati has already rippled beyond the Reds, because it changes the market for a right-handed bat the Guardians had been watching. With Steer headed to the injured list and expected to miss significant time, Clevelands deadline planning suddenly has to account for a thinner pool of available hitters, which is never where a contender wants to be this late in July.
So the Guardians are left sorting through the fallback options, and the names that keep coming up each carry a different kind of risk. Casey Schmitt offers versatility, Isaac Paredes brings a more defined offensive profile, and Jo Adell has the kind of power that can tempt a front office even when the rest of the package is less tidy. For Cleveland, the challenge now is finding a bat that fits both the lineup and the ballpark, and the Steer injury makes that search a lot messier than it was a day ago. [Read more 🡒]