Tuesday didn’t really get off to a good start for Boston Red Sox fans.
They woke up with the news that right-hander Lucas Giolito, who signed a two-year, $38.5 million deal earlier in the offseason, felt pain in his elbow after his most recent start.
He underwent some imaging on Tuesday, and it revealed the worst possible news.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the details.
“Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage,” Passan tweeted.
Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 5, 2024
That’s certainly crushing news for the Red Sox, who were already short on pitching and were scanning the market for more potential improvements.
There have been instances in which a partially torn UCL doesn’t need surgery: it happened with Masahiro Tanaka back when he was with the New York Yankees.
But in the vast majority of cases, it leads to Tommy John surgery and Giolito is also dealing with a flexor strain.
If he undergoes the procedure, he will be out for 12-16 months and wil obviously miss the 2024 season and probably part of 2025.
Even if he doesn’t get the procedure, he figures to miss a lot of time while recovering.
It’s unfortunate news for a talented pitcher and for a team that badly needed his contributions.
Giolito has a career 4.43 ERA and posted a 4.88 mark last season between the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angeles, and the Cleveland Guardians.
The Red Sox might be in the market for another pitcher and might intensify their pursuit of Jordan Montgomery.
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