Lively was called up by the Royals on Saturday.
Lively has 20 career big-league starts and five relief appearances, though he's likely up as a reliever this time around. His unimpressive 4.61 ERA is an overachievement according to his 4.95 FIP and 5.50 xFIP. His 7.5 percent walk rate is good, but his 15.3 percent strikeout rate means his best fit is in a low-leverage relief role. Heath Fillmyer was optioned to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.