The Cleveland Guardians got some bad news about one of their starters.
Ben Lively’s health is a reason for concern, and he will reportedly seek another opinion.
According to manager Stephen Vogt, Lively is currently dealing with a right flexor tendon strain.
That’s why he will undergo further testing and consult with other specialists before figuring out how to proceed:
“It’s the same as what we knew a couple days ago — that he has the flexor strain,” Vogt said. “But we just want to go make sure that we check every box and get another opinion on what’s going on and make sure that we’re covering all our tracks to make sure we do what’s best for Ben [Lively] and his career moving forward.”
Lively had to be pulled early out of Monday’s start vs. the Milwaukee Brewers because of an injured forearm.
The team placed him on the 15-day Injured List (IL) on Tuesday after some testing.
As of now, the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of going under the knife.
Lively threw three scoreless innings vs. the Brewers before leaving after experiencing discomfort during his warmup pitches in the top of the fourth inning.
Needless to say, losing him would be a massive blow for this team.
He posted a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings and 29 starts last season, and he’s been even better with a team-best 3.22 ERA in 44.2 innings this season.
If he’s forced to miss some time, Slade Cecconi will most likely take his spot in the rotation.
He struck out eight and didn’t issue a walk in his season debut on Saturday, taking the mound for the first time since he sustained a left oblique strain during spring training.
As for Shane Bieber, he just threw a live batting practice session in Arizona, but there are still several hurdles to clear before making his season debut after undergoing Tommy John surgery a little over a year ago.
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