Lively was designated for assignment by the Royals on Thursday.
This move frees up a spot on Kansas City's 40-man roster for Humberto Arteaga, who was summoned to the majors to replace the injured Adalberto Mondesi (groin). Lively made just one appearance with the Royals before being removed from the team's roster, allowing three runs on three hits in one inning during that outing.