3 internal options to replace injured Reds starter Ben Lively

This was the last thing the Cincinnati Reds needed at the moment. Though he had a horrififc start on Tuesday night, the Reds need Ben Lively at the moment.

Unfortunately, the right-hander suffered a pectoral injury and was placed on the 15-day IL. The Reds, who were hoping for some reinforcements to return from the injured list later this month to help bolster the starting rotation, are now down another starter.

Cincinnati was rumored to be in the market for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline, but nothing ever materialized. With Lively out action, the Reds will likely have to fill that spot from the inside. So who'll be the next many up?

1. Brett Kennedy could replace injured Reds starter Ben Lively.

Brett Kennedy filled in admirably earlier this season when called upon. Kennedy made a spot start in early July against the Washington Nationals and actually picked up the win. The right-hander went five innings, allowed four runs on five hits while striking out three.

Strangely enough, if Kennedy were selected to replace Ben Lively on the roster, his first turn through the rotation would be against that same Nationals team. Washington visits Cincinnati this coming weekend and Lively's next start would have come on Sunday.

One glaring issue when it comes to replacing Lively with Kennedy is that the schedule doesn't line up. Kennedy just pitched on Wednesday, meaning he'd be on short-rest if he was called upon to take Lively's start on Sunday against the Nats.

Since returning to Triple-A following his brief stint in the big leagues, Brett Kennedy has made four appearances with the Louisville Bats and is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Kennedy has allowed just one home run during that time and struck out 13 batters in 15.1 innings of work.