Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito ruled out of Wild Card series due to elbow injury

"Hopefully, it’s nothing major, but he won’t be ready for this one.”

Lucas Giolito was the favorite to pitch Game 3 against New York. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

September 29, 2025

2 minutes to read

The Red Sox’s starting rotation was dealt a severe setback on Monday ahead of their Wild-Card round matchup against the Yankees.

Speaking to reporters at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that veteran righty Lucas Giolito is dealing with an elbow injury and will not be available for this best-of-three series against New York.

Giolito was expected to be the odds-on favorite to start a series-deciding Game 3 on Thursday if necessary, with Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello set to start Games 1 and 2, respectively.

Instead, Giolito is currently in Alabama visiting Dr. Jeffrey Dugas — who performed the internal bracing procedure that sidelined the starter for the entire 2024 season.

“Lucas is not going to be on the roster,” Cora said Monday. “He has been battling with his elbow the last few days. Today, he went to see Dr. Dugas. Hopefully, it’s nothing major, but he won’t be ready for this one.”

Cora added that the Red Sox will learn more about the severity of Giolito’s elbow in the next few days.

Monday’s news stands as a sizable complication for a Red Sox team that punched its ticket to the postseason beyond the strong play of their top starters in Crochet, Bello, and Giolto.

Giolito was a steadying presence in Boston’s rotation this season, posting a 3.41 ERA across 27 starts and 145 innings of work. But, the 31-year-old starter showed signs of slowing down over the final months of the season.

Over his last nine starts of the year, Giolito was knocked for 29 walks — with his 5.29 walks per nine innings ranking 55th among 55 qualified starters, per The Ringer’s Brian Barrett.

“I believe he was fighting it,” Cora said of Giolito. “He was going to throw a bullpen during the week. We had to cut it short. Was he in play for the last game? Probably. He was pushing that way. But after Saturday and Sunday, he didn’t look too good. That’s the reason we sent him to see the doctor. Hopefully, it’s nothing major.”

If the Red Sox have to play in a decisive Game 3, Cora has yet to name a starting pitcher for that bout. Both Kyle Harrison and Connelly Early could be options for the Red Sox, although Cora also isn’t ruling out utilizing those young arms in bullpen situations if the right situation arises in both Games 1 and 2.

“We’ll go the first two games, then we’ll decide,” Cora said. “Obviously, we have some kids over there who have started lately. But first thing’s first: Crochet, Bello and if we have to make a decision for Game 3, we’ll go from there.”

For now, Crochet and the Red Sox are focusing on leaving New York with two wins, ideally before those questions arise regarding a starter for Game 3.

“We’re all thinking about Lucas,” Crochet said. “There’s never a good time for it, but this is a tough time for it. It’s a big blow. He has a great arm, and I think that he strikes fear in opposing lineups, so we’ll be missing him.

“He’ll be in the dugout with us, and he’s a great teammate and a guy that has a lot of experience, so I think that his mind will lend us a helping hand. But yeah, we’ll be missing him for sure.”