Guardians Get Bad News With Ben Lively Injury Update

The Guardians have persevered through tough injury luck this season, and it looks like they might have some more of it coming their way.

It was a bit perplexing that Ben Lively was pulled after just 65 pitches against Miami on Saturday despite allowing three hits and no runs through five innings.

Now we have an idea as to why. 

Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com is reporting that Lively has been sent back to Cleveland to undergo tests to address injury concerns. 

How Bad is Lively’s Injury?

Don’t panic just yet, because the injury news doesn’t appear to be related to Lively’s elbow or shoulder.

From Hoynes: “Manager Stephen Vogt said after Saturday’s game that Lively tightened up during the top of the fifth inning when the Guardians scored six runs and sent 11 batters to the plate. He pitched the bottom of the fifth, but that ended his night."

Lively said after the game he was frustrated about coming out because he’d only thrown 65 pitches. He said his legs and upper body tightened during the long fifth inning.”

There’s a good chance that Lively doesn’t miss too much time (if any) going off of that information. 

But if he does, let’s try to figure out the path forward.

Who’s the Next Man Up After Lively?

Cleveland is already down Shane Bieber (Tommy John surgery) and Gavin Williams (elbow soreness). 

Lively (6-2, 2.59 ERA) has been a superb fill-in, and Cleveland always seems to find an answer. But the rotation is already less than ideal with Carlos Carrasco’s 37-year-old shell of a self pitching every fifth day.

The options at this point are relatively thin. 

Much hinges on the rehab of Williams. He completed his third rehab start on Sunday afternoon, giving up two runs on three hits over 3.0 innings (50 pitches) at Triple-A Columbus. There aren’t many other pitchers in the minors who are worthy of a call-up. 

The most likely scenario right now looks like calling up Xzavion Curry again and hoping he can hold down a spot until Williams is ready. 

Curry has been terrible in three games this season (5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP), but he at least has the major-league experience to be a stopgap at the worst.

In the meantime, let’s hope the news isn’t too grim for Lively.

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