Guardians' Ben Lively: Reaches sixth inning in rehab start

Lively (illness) struck out one while allowing three earned runs on four hits and no walks over 5.1 innings in his second rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

After battling a viral illness in spring training that cost him about two weeks of action, Lively opened the season on the 15-day injured list. He might be fully built up by this point, however, as he reached the sixth inning of Tuesday's rehab outing and tossed 55 pitches in the start. Though Lively appeared likely to serve as organizational starting depth in 2024, he could have a clear path to a rotation spot in the short term while Shane Bieber (elbow) and Gavin Williams (elbow) are on the shelf. Bieber is lost for the season, but Williams is expected back in late April or early May.