David Fry To Get First Major League Start With The Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians will start David Fry at first base against the Detroit Tigers.

The Cleveland Guardians continue their lineup shake-up in order to find some sort of groove with the offense. Their first move came over the weekend when they optioned Oscar Gonzalez to Triple-A in order to give Gabriel Arias more playing time. Now they're going with a new first baseman.

David Fry will get his first Major League start on Monday night as the Guardians open up their series with the Detroit Tigers.

Fry is hitting .289 with an OPS of .859 with the Columbus Clippers this season. He's been with the Cleveland organization after being acquired from the Brewers after the 2021 season. In Fry's eight seasons in the minors, he's hit a total of 97 home runs and has always been known for his power.

But why start him on Monday night?

It simply comes down to the matchup. The Tigers will have Joey Wentz on the mound who's a lefty. The typical first baseman Cleveland goes with is either Josh Naylor or Josh Bell. Bell will still start as the designated hitter, but Naylor isn't in the lineup.

David Fry ties up the game in the bottom of the 6th!#ForTheLand | #CLESpring pic.twitter.com/wYAkbpakz5

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) February 28, 2023

Naylor has historically struggled against left-handed pitching. He's hitting just .201 against Southpaws in his career and is just 3-for-25 against them this season.

The hope is that Fry will be able to put up more competitive at-bats with a lefty on the mound and can jumpstart an offense that is still looking for a spark.

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This Is Why The Guardians Decided To Option Oscar Gonzalez

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