The Boston Red Sox were forced to remove starting pitcher Lucas Giolito only one inning into his spring training debut Tuesday because of left hamstring tightness.
Giolito threw 24 pitches, including only 10 for strikes, against the Philadelphia Phillies. Adam Ottavino took over in the second inning. According to Sean McAdam of MassLive.com, Giolito described the injury as minor.
Giolito missed all of 2024 as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, and Boston was hoping to have a full season from the veteran right-hander in their starting rotation this year.
Tuesday’s setback could prove to be minor, but it was a disappointing and abrupt ending to a highly anticipated debut.
Boston signed Giolito to a two-year, $38.5 million contract in Dec. 2023. He exercised his $19 million player option to return to the team in 2025. After a normal offseason regimen, the hopes were high that Giolito could at least fulfill some of the potential the Red Sox saw in him a year ago.
Giolito, 30, collected American League Cy Young Award votes every season from 2019-21. During that span, he went 29-21 with a 3.47 ERA (129 ERA+) in 72 starts for the Chicago White Sox. He struck out 526 batters in 427.2 innings.
Despite his health, the 2022 and 2023 seasons saw Giolito struggle. He went 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA (81 ERA+) in 30 starts for the White Sox in 2022. In 2023, Giolito was 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 21 starts when Chicago traded him to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the trade deadline.
Giolito said he felt his left hamstring tighten after very first pitch. He’s had strains before but feels this very minor.
Giolto went 1-5 with a 6.89 ERA in six starts for the Angels, then was placed on waivers. He finished the season with the Cleveland Guardians and went 1-4 with a 7.04 ERA.
A year ago, Giolito made two spring training starts for the Red Sox before succumbing to the injury. This year, they’re effectively counting him as a big addition to a rotation that also includes Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, and Quinn Priester.
Brayan Bello is expected to begin the season on the injured list because of shoulder soreness, along with Kutter Crawford (knee).
Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, and Cooper Criswell could be in line for more starts if Giolito’s injury is anything more than a short-term setback. The Red Sox begin the regular season March 27 against the Rangers in Arlington, Texas.
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