Guardians Pitcher’s Return Is Off To A Perfect Start

The Cleveland Guardians offense has been hit or miss all season, but much like in years past, the pitching staff has been the backbone for this playoff contender. Gavin Williams and Parker Messick have blossomed into ace-level talents while Joey Cantillo, Foster Griffin, and Tanner Bibee round out one of the league’s deepest and stingiest rotations.

As impressive as the rotation has been in terms of limiting offenses, the best ability is still availability and nobody knows that better than the Guardians. Only seven pitchers have made starts for Cleveland this season — the five aforementioned pitchers, Slade Cecconi, who occupied the No. 5 spot in the rotation until the Griffin trade, and the one start Logan Allen made.

Things are now about to get a little more crowded as another veteran is now finally on his way back. Guardians Prospective shared on X that Ben Lively twirled 4.2 scoreless innings in Triple-A on Friday. He topped out at 94.4 miles per hour and threw 65 pitches.

Cleveland #Guardians RHP Ben Lively struckout four St. Paul batters tonight over 4.2 scoreless innings of work for Columbus topping out at 94.4 mph.

Line – 4.2(IP) 3H 0R 0ER 1BB 4SO

(65 Pitches 43 Strikes)

First two Triple-A starts:

– 8.2(IP) 5H 0ER 1BB 7SO 0.00 ERA… pic.twitter.com/gak7GiFs27

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 22, 2026

Lively may need to make another rehab start just to get his pitch count up a bit more, but with 8.2 scoreless innings across two starts under his belt, it’s only a matter of time before the Guardians add another intriguing weapon to the pitching staff. Where he fits in is uncertain given the health and productivity of the current rotation, but if he is going to pitch like this, Stephen Vogt will find a spot for him somehow.

Lively hasn’t pitched since May of last year and the team is understandably going to be cautious in bringing him back, especially since starting pitching isn’t a major need right now. The 34-year-old has completely turned his career around since joining the team and has a 3.68 ERA across 38 starts in 2024 and 2025.

Messick and Cantillo are young and have thrown a lot of innings this year, so it wouldn’t hurt to have another veteran to help ease their load ahead of the postseason. Lively can be that guy and be a valuable spot starter and long reliever for this team down the stretch and it will be interesting to see how he factors into the equation.