Cleveland Sports Forum

How David Fry's updated role could help him be the Guardians' secret weapon in 2026

Fryday.

By Nicholas Anderson

2 hours ago

As we inch closer to Opening Day, most of the talk around the Guardians has been about the young guns and battle in the starting rotation. But if you want to know who the real X-Factor could be for the Guardians in 2026, look no further than David Fry.

After a 2025 season that felt like a series of unfortunate events that started with recovery from Tommy John surgery and ended with a scary hit-by-pitch that caused multiple facial fractures, Fry is finally healthy. And a healthy version of Fry changes everything for Guardians manager Stephen Vogt.

David Fry could end up re-finding his All-Star form for the Guardians in 2026
The All-Star pedigree

While it's easy to let Fry's tough, injury-plagued season from last year cloud you memory, don't forget that Fry was an All-Star in 2024. When he’s right, he is a menace at the plate.

In his breakout season, he posted a .804 OPS and was one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching, slugging nearly .600 against southpaws.

Last year, he was limited exclusively to playing at designated hitter and pinch-hitting thanks to offseason Tommy John surgery. He was pressing and trying to produce while essentially playing one-handed.

That's not the case this season, as he's back and ready to move all around the diamond. Vogt has already noted that Fry's throw-downs and back-picks from behind the plate look as strong as ever. Getting that All-Star bat back in a rhythm is the exact kind of internal addition this lineup desperately needed.

The Ultimate positional luxury

What makes Fry a secret weapon isn't just the bat; it’s the fact that he’s a human swiss army knife. Now that he’s a full season removed from elbow surgery, he is reclaiming his status as the most versatile player on the roster.

He can play behind the dish, and has been concentrating on catching this spring so he can be a high-level backup option for Bo Naylor.

He can also play at the corners, and is a natural at first base and third base. He can also play the corner outfield spots in a pinch.

This isn't just about versatility for versatility's sake. By having a guy who can legitimately catch and play the field, the Guardians gain a hidden roster spot. It allows them the luxury of carrying an extra pitcher without sacrificing bench depth.

Leadership and grit

In a clubhouse filled with 23 and 24-year-olds, Fry’s veteran presence is massive. He’s a guy who has gone through some stuff in his career, and that perspective is invaluable for the rookies.

He’s the ultimate glue guy. He doesn't complain about his role; he just asks where his glove is. Whether he’s pinch-hitting in a high-leverage spot or giving Naylor a day off behind the plate, Fry is the piece that makes all the other moves possible.

The bottom line

If Fry returns to his 2024 form, the Guardians' offense (which struggled mightily against lefties last year) gets an immediate, massive boost. He is the secret weapon that makes this roster deep, flexible, and dangerous.

<

Guardians could lose 2 useful players after setting 2026 Opening Day roster

6h · Henry Palattella

The Cleveland Guardians 2026 Opening Day roster is here. And although there aren’t any huge surprises, Cleveland’s front office still had to make some big decisions around some key roster battles.

The biggest two roster battles came in the form of the final bullpen spot and last two spots in the outfield which went to Colin Holderman, Angel Martínez and CJ Kayfus, respectively. The Athletic's Zack Mesiel was among those to relay the news on social media.

The Guardians decision to roll with those three players means that outfielder Stuart Fairchild and reliever Kolby Allard are both on the outside, which could result in the Guardians losing either player to another team over the next 48 hours

Kolby Allard and Stuart Fairchild won’t make the Guardians’ Opening Day roster

While the Guardians didn’t remove either player from their roster since they’re both on spring training deals, MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins reported yesterday that they both have upward mobility clauses in their contracts that gives them the chance to see opportunities with another team if they weren’t added to the Guardians’ roster.

They’ll both now have that chance, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if either of them get scooped up by another team thanks to what they could bring to the table.

The Guardians’ signed Fairchild to a minor league contract right around Christmas, and he hit .222 with one home run in 10 games with the Guardians this spring while also playing for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic.

While he showcased a stunning amount of pop in the WBC with two home runs in four games, his value is in his legs and contact approach. He would have been the fourth outfielder in the Guardians’ outfield, and could be scooped up by another team to fill that exact role.

This is the second straight spring that Allard’s been in camp with the Guardians, and it’s the second straight spring that he’s not going to break camp with Cleveland.

Last year Allard spent the first four weeks of the season at Triple-A before the Guardians called him up at the end of April. That kicked off a prosperous partnership where Allard turned in a career-best 2.63 ERA in 65 innings while pitching in a variety of roles.

That wasn’t enough for him to stick on the roster in the offseason, as the Guardians outrighted him off their roster following the season. He elected free agency and eventually reunited with the Guardians on a minor league contract later in the offseason.

He had a 4.05 ERA in 13 1/3 innings this spring and was briefly getting stretched out to work as a starter, but he eventually shifted back to a bullpen role.

Allard seemed to have a leg up on Holderman thanks to the fact the Guardians open the season with 13 games in 14 days, but Cleveland’s front office ended up going with Holderman (who they signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contact in the offseason) and Codi Heuer, who they added to the 40-man roster over the weekend and subsequently sent to Triple-A.

While these moves aren’t a guarantee that both players could end up leaving Cleveland (Allard stayed with the Guardians after being DFA’d last July and returned to the big league roster less than a week later), but they’ll both get a chance to explore the free agency landscape.

And if they do get scooped up, they both have a chance to turn into a player who could haunt Guardians fans.


<

Austin Hedges’ injury should open door to surprise Guardians promotion

By Henry Palattella

11 hours ago

The end of spring training is always a bit of a scary time in baseball.

While it’s mostly a time of hype and excitement thanks to the start of the regular season being so close, it also is a time when most teams would prefer to wrap their players in bubble wrap so they can stay healthy for that start of the season.

The Guardians found that out the hard way on Monday night when catcher Austin Hedges left in the ninth inning of their penultimate spring training game after being hit on the hand by a 93.1 mile per hour sinker from Arizona pitcher Casey Anderson.

Hand injuries are no joke for any MLB player, they’re really no joke for catchers since that’s such a demanding position physically. And, with the start of the season a little less than 48 hours away, the Guardians are at a point where they may need to rush to replace Hedges’ spot on the roster.

And if they do need to replace Hedges, there’s one move that stands out above the others: Call up catcher Cooper Ingle.

Cooper Ingle could be the Guardians’ catcher of the future

Hedges’ injury could have a huge ripple effect across the Guardians’ roster since Bo Naylor and Hedges are the only catchers on the team’s 40-man roster.

While the Guardians wouldn’t be in as dire of a situation as other teams thanks to David Fry’s ability to play catcher, this will be his first time working as a catcher since midway through the 2024 season. It would be smart to have some insurance alongside him.

Enter Ingle, who is entering the season as the No. 99 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline.

Ingle played in 120 games last season across Double-A and Triple-A, where he slashed .260/.389/.419 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI. He also walked 86 times compared to 85 strikeouts, marking the third straight season he finished with more walks than strikeouts.

He’s clearly a talented hitter, and he wouldn’t need to be in the lineup everyday since Naylor is clearly the top catching option. No need to worry about Ingle getting exposed night in and night out.

That role could end up being a reason they don’t call him up, however, as the Guardians have shown a penchant in the past for not calling up top prospects until they can get everyday playing time.

As such, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Guardians call Dom Nuñez up instead. Nuñez spent a week on the Guardians’ roster last year and appeared in two games while Hedges was on the concussion injured list.

He’s the stereotypical “break glass in case of emergency” catcher who the team has no problem adding (and subsequently removing) from the 40-man roster.

Adding Ingle to the roster would be an incredible swing that would start his big league timeline and make him a permanent addition to the 40-man roster.

It would be an aggressive move, but it may be a move that they have to make later this summer if Ingle starts the season hot. Why not get started on it now?

<

Results Are In For Austin Hedges’ Injury

March 24, 2026

By Mike Battaglino

The Cleveland Guardians will enter Opening Day with a large piece of good news. The hand injury suffered by Austin Hedges in the next-to-last spring training game is not serious, and the backup catcher could avoid a trip to the injured list.

That means the Guardians might be able to bypass some unexpected juggling of their 26-man roster before beginning the season against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Hedges is one of three catchers Cleveland is expected to carry, including starter Bo Naylor and David Fry.

According to Mason Horodyski, following X-rays, the Guardians updated Hedges’ status and are listing him as day-to-day.

“Austin Hedges had an X-ray this morning that came up negative. He is day-to-day with a bone bruise, per Guardians Chris Antonetti,” Horodyski posted on X.

A bone bruise avoids the worst-case scenario, which would have been some type of fracture, likely to the hamate bone, in Hedges’ hand. He was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks and could have been facing an extended absence.

The Guardians did not announce a corresponding roster move, so Hedges will likely remain on the team to open the season. With Fry available to back up Naylor, Hedges can take a couple of days off, if needed, to get back to full strength.

The return of Fry is critical to this scenario. After not being able to play the field last season while recovering from elbow surgery, he showed early in spring training that he could return to his duties behind the plate with no issues.

Naylor is expected to get the bulk of the playing time again this season after his breakthrough offensive performance in last year’s pennant race. With the Guardians counting on internal improvement to boost their offense, Naylor could be one of their key players this season.

Hedges is entering his 12th major league season, his fifth overall with Cleveland and third in a row after playing elsewhere in 2023. He is considered a defensive specialist, as he has a lifetime batting average of under .200.

But he has proven to be a reliable and effective player under manager Stephen Vogt, who fortunately will be able to count on him again moving forward.

<