Sending David Fry to Triple-A would be addition by subtraction for the Guardians

I'm not a fan of click bait headlines, but I promise you my first contribution here is a serious proposition.

This article isn't anything against David Fry – he's a solid player who was an All-Star last year and worth 1.4 bWAR to a team that went to the American League Championship Series.

And he recently made his return to the roster this year after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason, and has hit .138 with one home run and two RBI across 29 games.

What's lost in the pursuit of him providing a potential spark for the Guardians is that what made him so valuable previously makes him an imperfect fit for the 2025 roster.

That's enough teasing on my part. Let's start with the obvious reason first and break it down from there.

Sending David Fry to Columbus would be addition by subtraction

Round Peg, Meet Square Hole

Over the past two years, Fry played every position in the field expect for second base, shortstop and center field. He also pitched twice in relief in 2023. In other words, a good bit of his value was in his versatility.

This year, he's limited to just being a designated hitter after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right elbow last Novemeber.

So not only does Fry not have the versatility he had in years prior, but there really isn't a way to get yourself a feel for the game as a designated hitter compared to being in the field. You can see that José Ramírez's stats take a dip on days he doesn't take the field.

So how can you recoup that on Fry's value when his calling card isn't even available until 2026?

Managing the roster

One of the more – for lack of better terms – frustrating aspects about the Guardians this year is their inability to let their younger, productive players find spots in the lineup that need to play every day a year after going on a magical postseason run.

The Guardians organization saw a lot of baseballs mashed into the seats and the gaps by Kyle Manzardo prior to Fry's return. His batting average may not impress you, but he hasn't hit 11 home runs this year on accident.

Benching him in favor of an unproductive Fry would be malpractice.

It's not the first time this has happened with a former Guardians prospect this year. Entering last year, the Guardians viewed Jhonkensy Noel as one of their top prospects, and he rewarded them for their faith in the postseason with a huge game-tying home run in the American League Championship Series.

He never got a chance to truly build on that this year, however, thanks to the Guardians' acquisition of Nolan Jones at the end of spring training. That move relegated Noel to the bench and it did not translate into success for the 2024 postseason hero. 

This situation with Fry and Manzardo is a near parallel in that a young player doesn't have the ability to succeed because of an imperfect fit.

The long view

I've had the privilege of learning the game from several talented and knowledgeable people, which has translated into an ability to pick apart the little things in the game.

From my vantage point, last year's version of Fry started to taper off around July. After hitting .310 across the first three months of the season, Fry only hit .211 from July on — a period that coincided with him serving almost exclusively as a designated hitter due to the elbow injuury that he'd eventully need surgery on.

It's clear he had (and still has) a hole in his swing which is where a stint in Triple-A could come in.

Not only would sending him to Columbus provide a lower-stress environment for him to regain his confidence and work on his swing, it would also be a move that would provide some addition by subtraction.

It's a move that would give Manzardo more playing time along with allowing for the Guardians to give Fry's roster spot to another prospect. The Guardians have some prospects knocking on the door like Chase DeLauter and CJ Kayfus, and demoting Fry would open the door for one of them to contribute.

Fry's injury can't be blamed on him. He's still a valuable player and is a part of the organization's future, but the front office is limiting the team's ability to win (and his ability to succeed) by not providing him a chance to rework his swing and raise confidence in a lower-pressure environment.

Service time considerations could also make a move difficult, as he'll be eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2026.

The Guardians ended last season with a ton of momentum from their magical postseason run, but they've done little to capitalize on it since. Sending Fry to Columbus would help them gain some of that momentum back along with helping them build for both the present and in the future.