CLEVELAND -- Stephen Vogt’s phone has lit up at times this season with a message from Ben Lively. The Guardians’ skipper has made a point to check in on the right-hander, who has spent much of 2026 at the team’s Arizona complex rehabbing from elbow surgery.
“You got to stay in his ear a little bit,” a smiling Lively said Friday. “He'll ask me how I do, and I'll just send him a video. Like, ‘Good. The computer says I'm OK.’"
Lively, who was a rotation staple for the Guardians the past two seasons, underwent Tommy John surgery and a right flexor tendon repair on June 4 last year. He was given an expected return timeline of 12 to 18 months, and recently took a major step in his comeback process.
Lively began a rehab assignment with High-A Lake County on Saturday, and he made his second start for the Captains on Thursday. Progression-wise, he’s in a similar position as a pitcher at the start of Spring Training, taking the mound once every five days as he builds up.
“I don't really care where I go,” Lively said of the Guardians' four Minor League affiliates. “I just want to get the innings in, get the pitch count. Everything feels good. Just keep it moving forward.”
Lively logged a 3.68 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 195 2/3 innings over 38 starts with the Guardians from 2024-25. Amid his injury situation, Cleveland outrighted him off its 40-man roster in November, and Lively elected free agency in lieu of accepting an assignment to Triple-A Columbus.
The Guardians re-signed Lively to a two-year Minor League deal in February, which is key for a few reasons. Given his contract, the Guardians could simply option him to Columbus once his 30-day rehab assignment window is complete. Also, the length of that deal positions Lively to impact the Guardians in 2027. They aren’t going to rush anything here.
“He wants to pitch. It's no secret. But obviously we need to be smart,” Vogt said this month. “We want him to pitch for another seven years, not just get back to help us this year.”
In any case, the rehab assignment is a key step. For Lively, the results are not the only priority.
Lively threw 32 pitches (23 strikes) over one inning with the Captains on Saturday. He was charged with eight runs on seven hits (including two home runs) and one walk. Lively threw 36 pitches (24 strikes) over 1 2/3 innings on Thursday, when he was charged with two runs on five hits (including two homers) and one walk with two strikeouts.
“It feels good. The big thing right now is my breaking balls,” Lively said. “I feel like that's the biggest separation because I'm actually throwing my fastball a little bit harder. I feel like a lot of things are working a little bit harder. I’m just in a little tweener space with my breaking balls. But it’s better and better each time. My body feels great."
Lively’s four-seamer averaged 89.8 mph in 2025 and 89.9 mph in ‘24. He said he’s been sitting 92-95 mph. An area of focus right now is on the intensity with which he throws his breaking stuff. His arsenal includes a slider, sweeper and curveball. Whether he throws those pitches for strikes is secondary to dialing in his feel for those pitches.
“I think that it’s just the intensity level with it because I'm ripping the fastball,” Lively said. “I just need to start ripping these things, and it should start coming around back to normal.”
Entering Friday, five Guardians pitchers had started 109 of their 110 games this season in Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams. Cleveland's rotation has remained remarkably healthy. But if Lively experiences no hiccups in his rehab assignment, he could be an option for the big league staff at some capacity down the stretch.
His goal is to get back this season.
“You never know what's gonna happen next year," Lively said. "I'm definitely trying to end up in a good spot by the end of this year. That’s the main goal for sure."