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.

3. Levi Stoudt could replace injured Reds starter Ben Lively.

Levi Stoudt was included in the trade, along with Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo, that sent Luis Castillo to the Seattle Mariners last summer, but the right-hander has seen very little time in the big leagues.

Stoudt's role has been a bit muddled this season. Obviously the 25-year-old has experience as a starter, but two of his four appearances for the Reds have come in relief this season. One look at Stoudt's stat line is going to scare most Reds fans away.

Stoudt's first start back in April was against a red-hot Tampa Bay Rays team. Stoudt was barely able to get out of the first inning and left after allowing seven runs on nine hits through just four innings of work.

Stoudt came on in relief of opener Derek Law against the Miami Marlins in May and looked much better. He then made his second major league start against the Atlanta Braves and allowed three runs on four hits while walking three.

Here's where things get interesting with Levi Stoudt; he's already been optioned to the minor leagues five times, and a new rule limits the number of time a player can be optioned during a season. If the Reds were to recall Stoudt once more, they'd have to pass him through waivers in order to keep him on the roster in order to send him back to the minor leagues.

That could definitely be a sticking point, as it would almost guarantee that Cincinnati would have to keep Levi Stoudt on the active roster throughout the remainder of the 2023 season in order to keep him. That could complicate things a little bit.