Lively made a third rehab start for the Captains, as the organization is slowly building up the the right-hander, who underwent UCL reconstruction and a flexor tendon repair in May 2025. He's gone from 32 to 36 and now 48 pitches in his three outings.

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 over one inning (32 pitches) in his first rehab start and then served up 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.