Injured Alex Cobb dropped from Guardians’ ALCS roster, replaced by Ben Lively

NEW YORK (AP) — Pitcher Alex Cobb was dropped from the Cleveland Guardians AL Championship Series roster after getting hurt in the opener and was replaced Tuesday by fellow right-hander Ben Lively, the team’s winningest pitcher during the regular season.

Cobb left Monday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees after 2 2/3 innings because of hip tightness and a back spasm. Cobb is ineligible to pitch for the remainder of the postseason.

Lively, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts. He last pitched Sept. 28 against Houston on the next-to-last day of the regular season.

Cobb dropped to 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in the playoffs, making just his fifth start in a year limited by injuries. A 2023 All-Star, he had hip surgery on Oct. 31 and hadn’t yet returned to the mound when he was acquired by Cleveland from San Francisco at the July 30 trade deadline.

He made his season debut Aug. 9 and was sidelined after two games by a torn nail on his right index finger. He didn’t allow an earned run over six innings in his Sept. 1 return against Pittsburgh, then went back on the injured list with a blister on his right middle finger that ended his regular season.