**NEW YORK (AP)** – Pitcher Alex Cobb has been removed from the Cleveland Guardians’ AL Championship Series roster after sustaining an injury in the opener. He has been replaced by fellow right-hander Ben Lively, the team’s top pitcher during the regular season.
Cobb exited Monday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees after 2 2/3 innings due to hip tightness and a back spasm. As a result of his injury, he is ineligible to pitch for the remainder of the postseason.
Lively, a 32-year-old right-hander, finished the regular season with a 13-10 record and a 3.81 ERA across 29 starts. His last appearance was on September 28 against Houston, just before the end of the regular season.
Cobb’s postseason record has now fallen to 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA, marking just his fifth start in a season plagued by injuries. An All-Star in 2023, he underwent hip surgery on October 31 and had not returned to the mound when the Guardians acquired him from San Francisco at the trade deadline on July 30.
He made his season debut on August 9 but was sidelined after two games due to a torn nail on his right index finger. Cobb returned on September 1 against Pittsburgh, where he didn’t allow any earned runs over six innings, but then went back on the injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger, ending his regular season early.
