Guardians get bad injury news on playoff hero

Aug 10, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; The gloves and hats of Cleveland Guardians players on the dugout steps between innings against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians will have to wait until well into the 2025 season for an encore from their biggest playoff hero.

Cleveland announced Monday that utilityman David Fry recently underwent a major surgery on his right elbow, which he had been feeling discomfort in since the latter part of the 2024 campaign. The procedure was to address a flexor strain as well as a “chronically insufficient” UCL in Fry’s right elbow and will now keep him sidelined for an extended period.

The Guardians note that Fry will need six-to-eight months before he is able to return as a designated hitter and an estimated 12 months before he can return as a position player.

That is a very tough blow for the 28-year-old Fry, who was an All-Star for Cleveland in 2024 and brought some incredible heroics during their recent ALCS run. Fry hit a dramatic go-ahead pinch-hit homer for the Guardians as they were facing elimination in the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers and then did it all again with an incredible walkoff home run against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS.

But now the given timeline means that Fry will not even be able to DH for the Guardians until at least May or June of next year. Cleveland also has some things to figure out in free agency with many key players (including some of their big midseason acquisitions) set to hit the open market.