Kansas City Royals: Pitchers who could make starting rotation in 2019

STARTING ROTATION CANDIDATES – BEN LIVELY

Ben Lively was a late season addition in 2018, as the Phillies parted ways with him and the Royals claimed him off waivers not long after. Lively was put to work right away, albeit in a reliever role.

The reason Lively makes this list is that prior to his brief time spent in Kansas City, he was a starter. He started 15 games for Philadelphia in 2017 and another five for them in 2018 before being shown the door.

The Royals used him out of the bullpen in five games and he did extremely well in that role. Lively had an ERA of 1.35 in 6.2 innings. He gave up just one run in those 6.2 innings and looked like a nice addition to the team to close out the year.

Lively will be 27 in March, but he doesn’t hit free agency until 2025. That could make him an intriguing candidate moving forward. Will the Royals opt to keep him in the reliever role or give him a crack at the starting rotation?