The Boston Red Sox are facing a pitching dilemma. Prior to the season kick-off, they suffered a setback with a crucial signing lost during the offseason.
Then, during spring training, their star pitcher Lucas Giolito had to leave a game suddenly due to injury. Soon after, the dreaded news arrived: Giolito would be sidelined for the entire season following elbow surgery.
This is a harsh setback for a team already grappling with the absence of several key players in their pitching rotation.
A month after sustaining the injury, Lucas Giolito finally opened up about the incident that ended his season, as reported by Chris Rose. The Red Sox pitcher revealed that he hadn’t noticed any discomfort leading up to the injury, but during the actual game, he began to experience some mild soreness.
“No, I didn’t have any issues beforehand. I felt great, my speed was up. But yeah, during that second outing, I started to notice some soreness creeping in. I tried to push through it, but then there was this one pitch where I realized, ‘That didn’t feel right.'”
Despite the seriousness of the injury, Giolito didn’t immediately believe his season was finished after the incident. The Red Sox pitcher recalled experiencing a similar feeling last season that ultimately turned out to be inconsequential, so he had no reason to suspect it was a major injury.
“No, I didn’t assume it was over. Because I had experienced something similar last year that turned out to be nothing. I remember being on the mound and questioning whether it was like last year’s issue or something different.
It was quite intriguing; all the initial tests were indicating one thing… nothing too significant. Then I underwent an MRI, and it revealed, ‘Oh, your UCL is damaged.'”
Giolito was expected to be a remedy for the Red Sox rotation, which faced challenges in the previous season. They were among the weakest units, especially with Chris Sale joining the Atlanta Braves, leaving a void for a new ace.
Although Giolito had some difficulties towards the end of the year, his overall performance remained fairly strong. Counting on a resurgence from him in the upcoming season seemed like a reasonable expectation.
With Giolito sidelined for the entire season, the Red Sox have had to depend on several other pitchers to navigate through the year. Tanner Houck has particularly excelled recently, boasting a 3-1 record with an impressive 1.35 ERA and 28 strikeouts.
Brayan Brello and Nick Pivetta have also performed well, although Pivetta is currently sidelined due to injury.
Despite facing multiple injuries, the Red Sox find themselves in a favorable position this season with a 13-10 record, placing them third in the AL
East. Securing a playoff spot will be challenging given the outstanding performances of the Yankees and the Orioles, along with the Blue Jays rapidly gaining ground after a slow start. The question remains: How far can the Red Sox go with a team that’s been battered and bruised?