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The Cleveland Guardians need to find another arm for their rotation after the team placed RHP Ben Lively on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday afternoon.
Stephen Vogt said the organization is still looking at different options to fill the void left by Lively.
For now, here are three candidates who could take Lively's spot in the Guardians' rotation while Lively is injured.
Joey Cantillo
Let's start with a pitcher already on Cleveland's big league roster: Joey Cantillo.
The lefty has made 16 appearances out of the bullpen in 2025, but Cantillo is a natural starter. Now that a spot is open in the rotation, it could be a perfect time to give him another opportunity in the role.
Cantillo made eight starts during his rookie season and posted a 4.89 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He got better with each start, and the potential to be a middle-of-the-rotation arm remains.
If the Guardians don't want to shake up their pitching staff too much and don't believe Lively's injury will force him to miss too much time, then having Cantillo step in for a few weeks could be the most logical decision.
Doug Nikhazy
If the Guardians plan to look into the minors for some starting pitching help, Doug Nikhazy could be the next man up.
The left-handed pitcher made his MLB debut in April, and it didn't go great for the 25-year-old. However, even Nikhazy admitted that after the start, he didn't have his best stuff.
With Lively injured, now could be a great time for the Guardians to give Nikhazy a chance to come up to the big leagues and give him more than one game to show what he can provide to the pitching staff.
Nikhazy is ready to face MLB hitters. He owns a 3.32 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 9.29 K/9 at Triple-A.
All Nikhazy needs is an opportunity, and now might be the perfect time to give him one.
Parker Messick
After Cantillo and Nikhazy, Parker Messick is the next Guardians pitching prospect ready to contribute at the big league level.
The 24-year-old has been lights out with the Columbus Clippers this season and is making a strong case that he's ready to join Cleveland's rotation, even without the Lively injury news.
Messick has generated a ton of weak contact and is striking out nearly 13 batters per nine innings at Triple-A this season. That's the type of stuff that plays at the big league level.
The tricky part with a Messick promotion is that it must come with larger roster moves, too.
He's not currently on the 40-man roster, so the Guardians may not turn to him until they know more about Lively's injury and what the rotation could be like for the rest of the season.
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