Lucas Giolito maps out his road to recovery following UCL surgery
“I’m very confident that if I stick with the protocol, the training and medical staff here is excellent."
The road to recovery is just beginning for Lucas Giolito, but luckily it’s not the first time the newly acquired Red Sox pitcher has come back from a season-ending injury.
The All-Star – who underwent Tommy John surgery as a top minor league prospect in 2012 – had successful surgery on his right elbow Tuesday. Luckily this time around Giolito narrowly avoided a full Tommy John procedure that would’ve extended his time away from the mound. Instead, in an effort to repair a partially torn UCL, Dr. Jeffrey Dugas repaired the injury with an internal brace.
“Full Tommy John would have been a much longer recovery time,” said Giolito per MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “Things went as planned. Based on what I was told by the doctor and the training staff here, once he got in there, everything looked really good.”
Only a few days post-op, Giolito – whose elbow now hangs in a sling – is already looking towards the 2025 season.
“My goal is to have a full season next year without any sort of restrictions. That’s how it’s looking, based on how successful the surgery was. As long as the rehab goes well, I should be in spring training, preparing like a regular season. That’s what I’m looking forward to,” Giolito said.
When the Red Sox signed the pitcher to a two-year, $38.5 million contract over the winter, they had high hopes that he would help bolster Boston’s lackluster bullpen. The would-be starter – who divided his 2023 season between the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians – posted a 4.88 ERA going 8-15.
His 2024 season, however, ended before it even got the chance to begin.
“I’d say the biggest mental hurdle is that feeling of letting people down,” he said. “I signed here to throw a lot of innings for this club and it’s very unfortunate that I experienced this injury. I came into camp and everything was really clean. I felt really good, everything looked really good.”
Despite not joining the Red Sox on the diamond this spring, Giolito is leaning on his new teammates during his recovery.
“I’ve spoken to a number of guys in the clubhouse who’ve gone through Tommy John, internal brace…all those different type of procedures,” he said. “But everyone’s case is a little individualized, right? Knowing myself, I’ve always been able to heal well, (including some) little things that I’ve had the last two years. Obviously, this is recovering from a surgery.”
While his exact timeline remains unclear, Giolito hopes to be back on the mound by the 2025 season.
“I’m very confident that if I stick with the protocol, the training and medical staff here is excellent,” Giolito said about his recovery over the next 12 months.
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