Former Northwestern State Demon David Fry Undergoes Surgery

Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana has produced a lot of noteworthy figures in the world of sports. From the Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert to former LSU Head Coach Ed Oregeron, there's been a LOT of big names to call themselves NSU Demons and call Natchitoches home.

However, right now, there's one former Demon taking the sports & baseball world by storm and his name is David Fry. Fry was an All-Star this season and his bat nearly propelled Cleveland into the World Series.

Unfortunately, after a magical 2024 season, the 2025 season seems like it's going to be a rough one for David Fry and the Cleveland Guardians.

Texas Native & Former NSU Demon David Fry Undergoes Surgery

The 2025 MLB season officially started on Monday November 4th. And there was a flurry of baseball news. From qualifying offers to contract extensions. However, there was a bit of unfortunate news mixed in there.

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The Cleveland Guardians announced that David Fry had to undergo a form of Tommy John Surgery on his elbow. Tommy John Surgery, named after pitcher Tommy John, is a procedure to repair or replace a damaged ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. Basically, damage to the UCL can cause numbness in the hand and fingers. It's can also lead to the inability to do things like swing or throw a baseball at full speed.

READ MORE: David Fry is Cleveland's Baseball Hero

In short: It limits your ability to perform baseball tasks and is extremely uncomfortable.

So Fry unfortunately had to undergo a Tommy John/Internal Brace procedure and will miss a significant amount of the 2025 season.

How Long Will David Fry Miss in 2025?

Thanks to medical advances, Tommy John surgery is usually successful with very little complications. However, there have been times in the past where complications arise and can completely derail a players efforts to re-take the field.

According to the statement released by the Guardians, Fry is expected to miss 6-8 months. If all goes well, he'll be able to hit and possibly rejoin the team as a DH. However, it'll take at least a full 12 months before he's able to play the field in any capacity.

Again, that's assuming there are no complications during the recovery and rehab process.

Relive the Former Demons Star's Incredible Playoff Run

The news that David Fry is going to miss a significant amount of time in 2025 is not the news anybody wanted to hear. The guy had an incredible run in both the regular season and the playoffs. He singlehandedly saved Cleveland's season a couple times - while apparently dealing with a damaged UCL, which is pretty darn incredible.

He batted .286 with a .333 on-base percentage with 2 massive home runs and 8 RBIs. As hot as he was, had Emmanuel Clase been able to close out a couple of those games against the Yankees, we could be talking today about him being a World Series hero and possible MVP. He was that good.

READ MORE: Louisiana Natives With Their Numbers Retired by the Yankees

With all that said, let's revisit some of David's playoff heroics:

In the Divisional Season against the Tigers, with Cleveland on the brink of elimination, he hit a two-run home run that forced a Game 5 and ultimately extended Cleveland's season and gave them the keep their World Series Dreams alive. You can watch that moment below:

Doing it once, that's one thing. But to do it twice? That's the stuff of legends. And that's exactly what Fry did in a critical ALCS Game 3 against the Yankees. There's only been one team in baseball history to go down 3-0 and come back to win in a best of 7 series. That was the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees in 2004.

So, going into a 3-0 hole is basically a death sentence. But David Fry and his bat once again saved Cleveland's season by jacking a MASSIVE 2-run walk-off homer in extra innings. You can watch the magical moment below:

Obviously, things didn't quite work out for Cleveland and the Yankees ultimately moved on to the World Series. But it wasn't for the lack of heroics from David Fry. Hopefully we can see the Demon back on the field soon and better than ever.