The Cleveland Guardians can use as much help at the plate as they can get.
Fortunately, a big reinforcement is making strides to get back.
David Fry recently took a major step in his recovery from UCL surgery.
He played three games in the Arizona Complex League and has moved to Double-A for a rehab assignment.
He was 1-for-3 with an RBI in his first game, striking out once, hitting a single to center field and lining out to shortstop before hitting a sacrifice fly.
Asked about his recovery, the 29-year-old designated hitter claimed to be quite satisfied.
“It was good. I was telling the boys I needed the ball from my first day as an Akron RubberDuck, but it was a fun game to be part of,” Fry said, via Cleveland.com. “Same as a regular game, I want to have a plan in my at-bat, especially since I’m not playing defense right now, and just execute my plan. If I get a hit, great, if not, whatever. Especially in these games, just focusing on having a good approach and executing.”
Given his injury, he won’t play the field this season.
He will be in the lineup every other day at Akron, and he’s not making any promises or setting dates in stone, taking things one day at a time.
The Guardians would love to have him back right away, but they’re going to take things slowly with him.
Cleveland ranks No. 21 in MLB with a .642 OPS against lefties this season, and Fry’s .996 OPS against them last season would certainly come in handy.
It’s been a while since he had surgery, and though the first couple of months were monotonous and he couldn’t do much, he’s trending in the right direction and ramping things up.
NEXT: Guardians Activate Promising Outfielder Off Triple-A Injured List
