Red Sox get troubling Lucas Giolito injury news that could derail 2024 season
As if his most recent start wasn't concerning enough, the Boston Red Sox have received some bad news about their biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason.
This morning, manager Alex Cora revealed that Lucas Giolito experienced elbow discomfort after his last start. Giolito is being examined and the Red Sox are exploring the next steps, but he is unlikely to be able to pitch on Opening Day now.
Initial images taken of Giolito's arm show a "likely" partial UCL tear and flexor strain. He may need Tommy John surgery to fix the issue, which would cause him to miss the entire 2024 season.
Before any imaging was done, Cora expressed concern for Giolito — it seemed like the Red Sox knew the nature of the issue before it was even confirmed.
"Not a good day for us," Cora said as he reported the injury.
Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 5, 2024
Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito to be sidelined indefinitely with elbow issue
Giolito's discomfort may have shown through in his most recent start. He pitched 2.1 innings against the Twins before being replaced. Giolito let up four runs, all of them earned, and walked three batters.
After having decent command in his first appearance for the Sox, Giolito seemed lost in his second game. Now, Boston likely has its reason why.
Giolito will join second baseman Vaughn Grissom as projected starters who will be out of the Opening Day lineup with injuries. The season hasn't even started and multiple Red Sox have been bitten by the injury bug — not a good sign for the weeks to come.
It was looking like the best case scenario for the Red Sox rotation — after another underwhelming offseason with little help from the front office, Boston’s pitchers were faring well in spring training, against all odds. Giolito’s start against the Twins was the Sox’s first poor showing on the mound.
Now, as Boston is likely down a pitcher for the entire season, there’s a clear answer to its woes sitting on the free-agent market. The cries from fans begging the Red Sox to sign Jordan Montgomery will only grow louder. With only one true starter in the rotation in Brayan Bello, Boston is going to need all the help it can get.
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