David Fry of the Cleveland Guardians underwent surgery on Tuesday to correct a deviated septum and a nasal fracture, stemming from when Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal hit him in the face with a fastball on September 23.
The surgery was performed at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr. Anthony Tufaro, a team spokesperson told News5 Cleveland.
It's a shift from the team's prognosis the day after Fry's injury, when it declared that Fry should heal in six to eight weeks, “without the need for surgery.”
“[Fry’s rehab] was halted a little bit a couple weeks ago. But once David Fry is healthy, we know he's going to impact our team in a number of ways,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Tuesday, per the outlet.
It was a difficult and disappointing year for Fry. The 2024 All-Star played in only 66 games, starting the season on the injured list as he recovered from surgery to address a flexor strain and UCL injury. When he finally debuted on May 31, he slashed .171/.229/.363 .
Of course, any concern about Fry's play on the field took an immediate backseat the moment Skubal's fastball touched his face. The reigning Cy Young winner visited Fry in the hospital after-the-fact, along with Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and several of his teammates.
“By all accounts, Fry was in good spirits,” The Athletic’s Zach Meisel posted at the time via X. “Fry is back home and his family is headed to Cleveland to be with him.”
Just a week after the incident, the AL Central rivals met up in a Wild Card series, necessitated by the Guardians' furious comeback to steal the division by one game. The Tigers, however, got the last laugh, knocking Cleveland out of the playoffs with a 2-1 series win.
Detroit is now battling it out with the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.
