CLEVELAND, Ohio — The colorful pitcher who once told reporters he dreams of someday swimming with great white sharks is returning to Cleveland’s clubhouse while he recovers from elbow surgery.
The Guardians are finalizing a two-year minor league contract with right-hander Ben Lively, who is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last June in Texas. The club confirmed that the right-hander is already at the team’s spring training complex in Arizona and has been assigned a locker.
Lively, 33, who grew up on the beach in Pensacola, Florida, and whose father is a charter boat fishing captain, told cleveland.com last April that swimming with a great white shark is on his bucket list. But for now, the University of Central Florida alum will have to settle for the everyday monotony of strengthening his rebuilt elbow.
The two-year contract structure builds in plenty of recovery time for Lively, who could return by midseason, but might also miss the entire campaign with a conservative rehab approach. As a non-roster player, Cleveland would keep him in the organization, allowing him to compete for a rotation spot ahead of the 2027 season.
Lively’s 2025 season ended abruptly after just nine starts. He was initially diagnosed with a strained flexor tendon, but testing indicated significant damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The Guardians announced in May that he would undergo Tommy John surgery along with the flexor tendon repair.
In 2024, Lively saw his career reborn in Cleveland after signing a free agent deal following time with the Reds and two seasons in Korea. He logged 151 innings with a 3.81 ERA, an 18.7% strikeout rate, and a 7.8% walk rate across 29 starts, keeping the Guardians’ rotation afloat while several young pitchers struggled with consistency around him.
Lively’s path to Cleveland included stops in Philadelphia and Kansas City before heading overseas to pitch for KBO’s Samsung Lions.
He was released in November along with veteran lefty reliever Kolby Allard, though both are now back with the Guardians on minor league deals.
With Lively ostensibly sidelined, the Guardians will enter the 2026 season with a rotation featuring Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi and some combination of Parker Messick, Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo.