The Cleveland Guardians acquired starter Foster Griffin at the deadline to increase the number of pitching options at their disposal. A few days after that, Slade Cecconi was placed on the injured list, leaving them exactly as they were before the Griffin trade.
Long story short, the Guardians, and virtually every MLB team, are continually looking for quality depth. Thankfully for Cleveland, one of their injured starters is making strides in rehab and could soon become an option.
“Cleveland Guardians RHP Ben Lively struck out three Omaha batters over four scoreless innings of work, making his 1st start for Columbus tonight. Line: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO (49 pitches, 34 strikes). Lively topped out at 93.9 mph,” Guardians Prospective reported.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Ben Lively struckout three Omaha batters over four scoreless innings of work making his 1st start for Columbus tonight.
Line – 4.0(IP) 2H 0R 0ER 0BB 3SO
(49 Pitches 34 Strikes)
Lively topped out at 93.9 mph.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/LK220HHVRj
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 15, 2026
It was a fantastic outing for the veteran right-hander, who is in the last stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He re-signed with the Guardians in the offseason on a two-year minor league contract.
The expectation was, back then, that he would be ready to rock in 2027, but he had a tiny chance to make an impact late in 2026. Well, it looks like that scenario is about to present itself: he is close to being ready to face MLB hitters and help Cleveland if they need him.
Friday was Lively’s first game in Triple-A this season, but he had already made four starts with the Lake County Captains of High-A. There, he posted a 17.28 ERA in 8.1 innings, but the organization wasn’t worried about results since he was working his way back to full health after a long layoff.
Now in Triple-A, he took it up a notch and was able to complete four scoreless frames while touching 93.9 mph. Considering that he averaged just over 90 mph with his four-seamer in each of the last two seasons, it’s hard not to be excited about his chances of contributing in the stretch run.
Lively has been an excellent find for the Guardians. He posted a 3.81 ERA in 2024 and a 3.22 mark last year before going down with an elbow injury.
It’s still not clear if he will make more rehab starts or if he will rejoin the Guardians’ MLB staff, but he is definitely trending in the right direction.
NEXT: Gavin Williams Gets Honest About His Performance On Friday
