Red Sox’s new pitcher Lucas Giolito’s season is in peril

By Kyler Maira

Fort Meyers, FL – The Boston Red Sox’s new pitcher Lucas Giolito’s season is in peril due to a suspected partially torn UCL and flexor strain. While the extent of the injury is uncertain, Giolito will undergo a right elbow operation on Tuesday to determine whether or not Giolito will need a bracing procedure or a full Tommy John Surgery.

Giolito’s injury started in the Red Sox’s March first matchup against the Minnesota Twins. In that outing, Giolito played through shoulder discomfort, giving up two hits, four runs, and three walks in 2 1/3 innings as the Red Sox limped to a 5-3 defeat. 

Red Sox manager Alex Cora commented on the uncertainty of the injury, stating, “The extent of it, we don’t know yet. We know it’s with the ligament. So we’ll know more tomorrow when they go in. The type of surgery, we don’t know yet.”

Giolito’s absence will be a huge hit for the Red Sox who have struggled within the bullpen recently. He pitched in 33 games in 2023-24 for three different ballclubs, including a 21-game stretch with the Chicago White Sox in which he had an ERA of 3.79. After the Red Sox allowed 776 runs last season, the 29-year-old pitcher was brought in on a two-year, $38.5 million deal to lower that tally. The Red Sox will now have to look elsewhere for support.

A potential candidate to step up is Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello who just inked a 6-year, $55 million deal. He, in combination with veterans Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin, will look to take steps in a positive direction this season. They will have three more weeks to prepare as they continue their push in spring training, with fifteen more bouts before their eventual season opener on March 28 in Seattle.