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.