Just because the news was expected doesn’t mean it’s any easier for the Guardians to swallow.

David Fry, the man who became baseball’s most unexpected All-Star and helped carry the Cleveland offense through the postseason, underwent a procedure to repair a ligament in his right elbow and will miss Opening Day 2025.

If all goes well, Fry’s timetable to return as a designated hitter would be in six to eight months (which would be between May and July). However, for it to fully heal enough for him to throw regularly as a position player, he’ll need 12 months, meaning the ’25 season will be out of the question for him as a utility man.

When Fry is versatile is when the Guardians are at their best.

Fry proved this season that he is a dangerous weapon offensively, whether it was hitting above .330 with an OPS north of 1.000 through the first week of June or smacking a walk-off homer in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees. Having his bat in the lineup, regardless of whether he’s also in the field, can obviously still be a benefit, especially against left-handed pitching.

However, before he started to deal with elbow soreness toward the end of June, Fry was the ultimate utility man. He gave manager Stephen Vogt the flexibility to pinch-hit for his catchers twice because Fry could always move from any position to behind the dish. He could fill in at first base or in the corner spots in the outfield. That versatility kept him in the lineup and freed up the DH spot for everyday players like José Ramírez to get a little bit of rest.

Now, to keep Fry in the lineup, he’ll have to be an everyday DH like he was in the second half of the ’24 season.

That’s why this news wasn’t overwhelmingly surprising. Fry could only handle playing first base if he’d play the field because it required very little throwing. But because Josh Naylor plays there nearly every day, Fry had to be limited to just DH, which didn’t help his bat stay hot like it was when he was moving around the field. He had more sporadic at-bats. He had to pinch-hit more often. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked by the end of the season.

Cleveland has the experience with this balancing act. It once again ties the team’s hands a little more than it would prefer, but if Fry can reward the Guardians with his bat like he did this season, it will be worth the hassle.