The Cleveland Guardians have some quality depth on offense. With the notable exception of middle infield, they seem to have multiple options to deploy all around the roster.
Their outfield has Steven Kwan, an all-around performer; star prospect Chase DeLauter, and the promising George Valera, with September standout CJ Kayfus waiting in the wings and bounce-back candidate Nolan Jones also around. Lefty-killer Angel Martinez is also expected to be part of the mix, potentially as part of a platoon.
Austin Hedges is the backup for starting catcher Bo Naylor, and Rhys Hoskins gives Cleveland another middle-of-the-order thumper for the first base and designated hitter slots in addition to Kyle Manzardo. Needless to say, Jose Ramirez is firmly entrenched as the starting first baseman.
It appears there is no room for David Fry, right?
He will play, of course, or at least that will be the case as long as he is on the roster. His 2024 alone, where he had a 129 wRC+ while covering multiple positions defensively, gives him some leash. But he will need to start hitting at some point.
Let’s not forget he had Tommy John surgery in October of 2024 and was limited in 2025 as a result. His 63 wRC+ signals some logical rust, but it was ugly at times, especially the 36.9 percent strikeout rate.
Restricted to DH duties last year, Fry is expected to play all around the field again in 2026, including behind the plate. However, it won’t matter if he doesn’t produce anything offensively.
He entered Tuesday’s spring game vs. the San Francisco Giants with a .105 batting average and with a horrible 17 wRC+, so he has shown very little in Cactus League play this year. That’s particularly concerning, since he is no longer ‘just a few months’ removed from surgery. It’s been almost a year and a half.
Even if he can be decent at the dish, the Guardians might not have much room to play him if everything is clicking offensively.
How much playing time could he get if the three outfielders are raking and if Manzardo and Hoskins are both hitting well? It’s unlikely to see everything clicking like that at the same time, yes, but Fry himself has to justify his presence in the lineup with good performances.
Some analysts seem to be on the optimistic side of this, and that’s important to point out, but everything that Fry gets this year will have to be earned on the field.
Injuries happen all the time, so he might get a few looks here and there. Even if the team remains relatively healthy, he will start a game behind the plate every once in a while and get a corner outfield or a DH look once or twice a week.
Whether he can play more than that will depend almost entirely on what he can do with a bat in his hands.
NEXT: Guardians Have Big Decision Looming In Rotation
