Royals claim pitcher Ben Lively off waivers from Philadelphia

The Royals have claimed right-handed pitcher Ben Lively off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, they have designated left-handed pitcher Eric Stout for assignment. The 26-year old Lively has made 20 Major League starts, all coming in the last two seasons, and has a 4.81 ERA and 5.05 FIP with 5.9 strikeouts-per-nine innings.

Lively was originally a fourth-round pick by the Reds in the 2013 draft out of the University of Central Florida, where he was teammates with Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund. Lively was traded to the Phillies in December of 2014 for veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd. He made his Major League debut last year, posting a 4.26 ERA in 15 starts, but struggled this year after missing some time in April with a lower back strain. He also suffered a shoulder injury in July that threatened to end his season, but he returned in August, and put up a 2.42 ERA in 52 innings at AAA.

Ben’s fastball doesn’t quite live up to his last name, but he can throw consistently in the low-90s. He throws a cutter, sinker, and slider and has a flyball rate over 40% as a big leaguer. He can also hit a bit, smashing this opposite field home run last year, one of his two home runs.

Stout appeared in just three games for the Royals this year, giving up six runs in 2 ¹⁄₃ innings. The 25 year-old left hander had a 4.75 ERA in 55 innings for Omaha before an injury ended his season a few weeks ago. If he clears waivers, the Royals can assign him to their minor leagues.