Lively (elbow) began a rehab assignment at High-A Lake County and has made two starts for the Captains, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Lively was a rotation staple the last two seasons for Cleveland before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2025. He's been knocked around in both rehab outings, but the right-hander's main focus is on building up innings and pitch counts. "I'm actually throwing my fastball a little bit harder," Lively said. "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 was charged with eight runs (two home runs) over one inning (32 pitches) in his first rehab start and then two runs (two homers) over 1.2 innings (36 pitches) in his next one. The Guardians signed him to a two-year minor-league contract in the offseason and can option Lively to the minors upon completion of the rehab assignment.