Guardians pitcher Ben Lively has Tommy John surgery, expected to miss 12-18 months

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians pitcher Ben Lively had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday morning.

Dr. Keith Meister did a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with a flexor tendon repair on the 33-year-old Lively in Dallas.

Lively will have a postoperative recheck Thursday before reporting to the Guardians’ spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona, to begin his rehabilitation. He is expected to miss 12-18 months.

Lively exited the May 12 game against the Milwaukee Brewers due to a strained right flexor tendon after going three scoreless innings. He felt some discomfort after a start at Washington on May 6, but didn’t experience it again until he threw a couple of warm up pitches in the game against the Brewers.

Lively was 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA in nine starts this season. He allowed only one run in 14 innings in three May starts.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up