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Guardians injury news | Ben Lively needs surgery, Cleveland rotation loses reliable starter
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- Guardians injury news | Ben Lively needs surgery, Cleveland rotation loses reliable starter
A member of the Guardians starting rotation is done for the year, and a pitcher coming off a career season received some brutal news.
Right-handed starter Ben Lively will need Tommy John surgery, the team announced on Friday, May 23. No surgery date has been set, but it's expected to take place within the next week or so.
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Lively sought a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, who confirmed the diagnosis and the recommended course of action. Both team physicians and Dr. Meister believe the joint laxity is placing added stress on the flexor muscles, and UCL reconstruction is needed, according to an update provided by the club.
It means Lively's 2025 season is over. It also means most or even all of his 2026 is in jeopardy as well. Similar cases have often included a return-to-play time frame of 12 to 16 months.
Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) walks to the dugout after suffering an apparent injury in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 12, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ben Lively stats
Lively had a career year in 2024 , his first with the Guardians, finishing 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings. Until he was shut down with the elbow injury, he had been even better in 2025, posting a 3.22 ERA in 44⅔ innings.
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Before coming to Cleveland , Lively had a combined a 5.05 ERA in 208⅔ innings. In his age 32-season last year, he finally took major steps forward with his career, and 2025 was looking to be yet another building block. That progress will now be halted for at least a full calendar year.
It's a tough blow for not only the Guardians rotation, but for a pitcher who had been one of the bright spots over the last season and a half.
Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively pitches to Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins in the first inning, May 1, 2025 in Cleveland.
How does the Guardians rotation respond to Ben Lively's injury?
Lively's injury will put more of a strain on the rotational depth until Shane Bieber , rehabbing from his own Tommy John surgery , is able to return.
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Tanner Bibee , Gavin Williams , Luis Ortiz and Logan Allen are holding down four of the spots, with the recently called-up Slade Cecconi , acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Josh Naylor trade , figures to round out the rotation.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ben Lively needs surgery, as Guardians lose starting pitcher to injury
