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Red Sox are placing a third starting pitcher on IL before Opening Day
"We will be tested right away, but I think we’ll be OK."
The hits keep on coming for the Red Sox starting rotation ahead of Opening Day.
Just a few days after Alex Cora confirmed that Brayan Bello would likely miss the start of the regular season alongside fellow starter Kutter Crawford, veteran righty Lucas Giolito is also now expected to open the new year on the injured list.
The 30-year-old Giolito suffered a hamstring injury on the first pitch he delivered during spring-training action on Tuesday, eventually logging just one inning of work in a 18-8 loss to the Phillies.
A subsequent MRI revealed that Giolito suffered a “low-grade” hamstring strain, per Sean McAdam of MassLive.
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Speaking to reporters in Florida, Cora confirmed that Giolito would not be available when the Red Sox open their regular season on March 27 against the Rangers.
“Obviously, he’ll be behind, so I don’t see him being on the Opening Day roster,” Cora told McAdam. “So now the other (depth) guys come into play. We’re getting tested right away. I think the difference is that, we truly believe that we’re in a better spot (in terms of options) than last year, but we’re down three (starters); it’s not one.
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“My biggest concern is, early on, we play five (in a row to start the year), we get an off-day (April 1 in Baltimore) and then I think we play (the next 15 days in a row). We will be tested right away, but I think we’ll be OK. It’s a marathon, as we know. You cannot panic early on … We really have an idea of what route we’re going to take ad we should be OK.”
Thursday’s news stands as yet another setback for Giolio, who initially signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox ahead of the 2024 season.
Giolito was expected to bring some much-needed stability to Boston’s rotation, logging at least 29 starts in four of his last five seasons before signing with Boston. That lone outlier season was the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, where he started 12 games for the White Sox.
But, Giolito was sidelined for the entire 2024 season after elbow issues at the start of spring training forced him to undergo internal brace surgery in March 2024.
Seemingly cleared this spring, it didn’t take long for Giolito to again find himself playing catch-up.
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“Obviously, it’s frustrating,” Giolito told McAdam of his injury “It’s not my decision. We were testing it (Wednesday morning) and whatnot and then went out and threw and felt 100 percent fine, completely asymptomatic. I was actually surprised at how good I felt. So, as far as like, if I were in charge, I’d be like, ‘OK, let’s keep going and pitching.
“I don’t know what the return to play looks like. I’m just going to keep taking it day by day and do what they tell me to do and that’s it.”
With Bello, Crawford, and Giolito all sidelined, the Red Sox might have to turn to two depth starters to open the 2025 season. R
Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Michael Fulmer, Hunter Dobbins and Cooper Criswell are all potential options to round out Boston’s rotation, which will be led by Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, and Walker Buehler.
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