David Fry is even more important to Guardians after blockbuster Patrick Bailey trade

On Monday night, David Fry started at catcher for the Guardians. While him squatting behind the diamond isn’t noteworthy given his ability to bounce around the diamond, it marked the third straight game that Fry appeared at catcher. It’s the first time Fry’s appeared in three straight games at catcher since the end of the 2023 season. 

For the first month-plus of the Cleveland Guardians’ 2026 season, Fry being able to play behind the plate seemed more like a bonus than a necessity. 

But it seems like that may be going by the wayside thanks to the Guardians’ trade for Patrick Bailey. While he and Hedges are two of the best defensive catchers in baseball, neither of them are known for their offense. 

Fry is an obvious fix for that problem. 

David Fry may be the most important player on the Guardians' roster

After going 1-for-2 against the Twins as a pinch-hitter, he posted a 2-for-3 showing on Monday with a double, RBI and walk in the Guardians' 7-2 win over the Angels.

He’s not as good defensively as either of them but his offense makes up for that. The Guardians are going to have an advantage every time Hedges or Bailey is behind the plate because of how good they are at calling a game and pitching framing, but their lack of thump was going to become a problem. 

In a perfect world that problem would have been solved by Bo Naylor, but he hit just .143 in 28 games this season before being sent down to Triple-A to make room for Bailey. 

Hedges has made things a bit better this season thanks to his late-career renaissance  (.294 batting average), but he’s only had 57 at-bats. The Guardians are at their best when he’s getting plate appearances in short doses. 

The Guardians are clearly searching for things after their lineup slept-walked through theirthree-game series against the Twins, and rolling with Fry behind the plate is a step in the right direction. 

Both of Fry’s appearances behind the dish against the Twins came after he was inserted as a late-game pinch-hitter, which is another role we may see him in more as the summer goes on. 

Even if Fry doesn’t appear in a game, he still impacts the game since him being on the roster means the Guardians can use both Hedges and Bailey in a game and not have to worry about not having another catcher if the second one were to get hurt. 

Fry may never be the same player he was in 2024 when he earned his first career All-Star nod, but he’s still a talented player. Last year was a bit of a disaster for him since he could only appear as a designated hitter or pinch-hitter, but now he’s fully healthy and bouncing around the diamond. 

But don’t be surprised if the Guardians sacrifice that versatility in favor of him working more behind the plate.

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