Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito made his first spring training start since he underwent the internal brace procedure to repair his UCL last year around this time.
Giolito took the mound to start Boston's March 11 Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. He surrendered two runs and two talks with a strikeout in the first inning, and the Red Sox didn't send him out for the second.
Sean McAdam of MassLive reported Gioltio was pulled due to hamstring tightness. Luckily, nothing seems to be wrong with his recently repaired elbow, but Boston's rotation has already taken a few hits this spring, and another could be detrimental.
Brayan Bello is slated to start the season on the injured list due to shoulder soreness, and Boston's first depth starter, Kutter Crawford, will also be sidelined with knee issues. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters before Giollito's Grapefruit League debut that the righty would make his first start of the season on March 31 against the Orioles, which may need to change in the wake of the injury.
Lucas Giolito pulled from Red Sox spring training debut after one inning with hamstring strain
Giolito told McAdam after he was pulled that his hamstring tightness feels minor compared to strains he's had before. Hopefully, he's correct and he can recover quickly enough to make his scheduled start against the Orioles in game five of Boston's regular season. That will be a tight timeline, though, with nearly three weeks and 13 spring training games between his hamstring issue and projected first start. If Giolito needs to spend any time on the bench, it's hard to imagine he'll be ready in time.
Luckily, the Red Sox are newly reinforced with much major league-ready pitching depth. Quinn Priester and Richard Fitts have been floated as potential replacements in the rotation for Bello, and the Sox also have Hunter Dobbins and Cooper Criswell available to slot into Giolito's spot if necessary.