The Guardians’ deadline-day shuffle came with a pair of familiar names headed out of the big-league clubhouse. Kyle Manzardo and David Fry were both optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday after Cleveland made a series of trades and needed room on the roster.
The moves followed the additions of outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and right-hander Foster Griffin before the 6 p.m. deadline. For now, that leaves Manzardo and Fry on the outside looking in as the Guardians rework the group for the stretch run.
Manzardo opened the season as Cleveland’s first baseman, but his bat never really caught fire for long. He went down to Columbus hitting .215 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 312 at-bats, along with a .306 on-base percentage and a .378 slugging percentage. He still led the team in homers, but the production was far from steady.
Chris Antonetti, the club’s president of baseball operations, said Lowe and Rhys Hoskins will share time at first base.
Manzardo’s 2025 line included 27 home runs and 72 RBI.
Fry’s season was a different kind of grind. He left for Columbus batting .182 with six homers and 27 RBI in 143 at-bats, plus a .304 on-base percentage and a .336 slugging percentage. After hitting .263 with 14 homers and 51 RBI in 2024, his offensive output dropped while his playing time became harder to come by on a team that has struggled to score.
His versatility had made him such a useful piece for Stephen Vogt, especially because he could handle multiple spots, including catcher. But after Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Fry appeared in only 58 games in 2025.
Antonetti called both decisions difficult.
“We continue to believe that Manzo’s going to be a really productive Major League hitter,” said Antonetti. “He’s demonstrated the ability to impact games and help carry the team. But this year it just hasn’t been as consistent as it’s been in the past.
“And we felt this was an opportunity to complement our group and try to improve the roster a bit. We still believe Manzo will impact our team sometime this year.”
Fry has been with the Guardians since they acquired him from Milwaukee after the 2021 season, and Antonetti made clear how much he has meant to the organization.
“It was a really tough conversation with David,” said Antonetti. “He’s not only been a key contributor on the field for us but is part of the fabric of our clubhouse.
“But we’re seeing this as an opportunity for David to get the consistent at bats in Columbus that he just hasn’t been able to get up here because we’ve all seen when David’s getting consistent at bats, he’s been a really productive player.”
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