The bottom of the Guardians’ starting rotation has been in flux for seemingly all of the 2025 MLB season.
Ben Lively was building on his solid start to the year, but he suffered forearm inflammation in the middle of May and underwent Tommy John surgery two weeks later. Slade Cecconi was acquired in the offseason to fill one of those spots, but he missed the start month-and-a-half of the season with an oblique strain.
Luis Ortiz was beginning to put it all together, but was placed on administrative leave at the start of July and could be out for the rest of the year.