The Cleveland Guardians will be without one of their best players to start the season.
David Fry played through an elbow injury at the end of last season before ultimately going under the knife.
As expected, manager Stephen Vogt confirmed that he wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day.
More than that, he also revealed that it is highly unlikely that he will play the field at all this season:
“The odds are David probably will not play in the field this year,” said Vogt. “It takes 12 to 15 months to recover from Tommy John surgery. Swinging the bat is usually a six- to eight-month process. So I guess on the early end that could be what May and on the back end it could be early June.”
Bryce Harper recently set the record for the fastest comeback from Tommy John surgery, returning just 160 days after his operation.
That’s probably not the case with Fry, but he’s anticipated to be back around early June.
Once he’s back out there, he will get some at-bats as their designated hitter.
The 29-year-old player is coming off a solid season.
He batted .263 with 51 RBIs and 14 home runs, including a go-ahead home run in Game 4 vs. the Detroit Tigers to help clinch the AL Division Series.
He also hit a walk-off homer in extra-innings to take down the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS.
The Guardians brought back fan favorite Carlos Santana in the offseason, and he should help with the offense while Fry works his way back.
Expecting similar offensive production from the 38-year-old Dominican star might be a bit of a reach at this point in his career, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down despite his age.
As for Fry, the team is doing the right thing by taking a cautious approach after such a delicate procedure.
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