The Cleveland Guardians officially announced John Means’ signing this week.
It means they have to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for their new lefty.
Cleveland had various options to do this.
They could have assigned someone, but it seemed pointless given their other possibilities.
One of the Guards’ players with long-term injuries was eventually placed on the 60-day roster.
They had a decision between Shane Bieber and David Fry.
They ultimately chose the latter option.
“To make room for the John Means signing today the Cleveland #Guardians have placed David Fry on the 60-day IL to start the season,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Fry, who made the All-Star team last year and had a career-high 129 wRC+ with 14 home runs, is returning from Tommy John surgery performed in November.
The organization expects him to return to designated hitting duties in June, but the field will not be in action until much later in the season.
However, this agreement guarantees that he will not return until June.
It’s probably for the best, anyway: the Guardians want Fry to be as close to his best self as possible, and he may need some time in the minors to reestablish his rhythm at the bat after such a long layoff.
The fact that Bieber was not the one who went to the 60-day IL opens the potential to a comeback before June, which would be a best-case scenario for him and the Guardians.
He is ahead of schedule and may surprise some people with his homecoming date.
