Giolito to miss time with injury to elbow

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Bad news hit Fenway South Tuesday morning: Lucas Giolito will miss at least the start of the season after feeling discomfort in his right elbow, according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

“I pride myself on posting, staying healthy,” said Giolito. “I’ve done everything in my power to do so. I haven’t dealt with a serious injury in a very long time. So it definitely sucks a lot.”

ESPN reported that Giolito, who underwent Tommy John surgery as a prospect in 2012, could have a partially torn UCL and flexor strain, which would force the righthander to undergo surgery and miss the entire season. The Red Sox said they are still gathering information, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged that Giolito has a “real injury.”

“It’s really tough,” Breslow said. “It’s tough for us. Tough for Lucas. He’s a guy that takes a lot of pride in his ability to post, and that was something that was attractive to us.”

Giolito signed a two-year, $38.5 million deal as a free agent to join the Red Sox in the offseason. He has been durable over his career, throwing at least 130 innings and making at least 29 starts in each of the last six seasons, aside from the COVIDshortened 2020 campaign.

Giolito is coming off two disappointing seasons, but the Red Sox believed he could rebound under the guidance of their coaching staff, namely pitching coach Andrew Bailey. In his first outing of the spring against the Twins, Giolito appeared to be on the right track. His stuff had life, and he reached the mid 90s on his four-seam fastball. Giolito finished his two innings in scoreless fashion, with one strikeout and a walk.

But in his second start last week, also against Minnesota, he allowed four earned runs in 2‚ innings. Following the outing, Giolito alerted Cora and the medical staff about the soreness in his elbow.

At his peak with the White Sox from 2019-21, Giolito was one of the best pitchers in baseball, compiling a 3.47 ERA in 72 starts. He struck out 526 batters over 427„ innings.

Giolito is one of the veterans of the staff, one of the few pitchers who has true experience as a starter. With Chris Sale no longer in the picture, Giolito was expected to be a leader. His absence would only exacerbate what was already an issue for the Red Sox: starting pitching.

Tanner Houck, Josh Winckowski, and Garrett Whitlock have been vying for the final spot in the rotation, but now it appears they will compete for two spots instead of one.

All three have struggled as starters. Houck hasn’t proven that he’s capable of turning over a lineup or throwing strikes more consistently. Whitlock has struggled to stay healthy. Winckowski lacks experience.

The other rotation pieces — Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, and likely Kutter Crawford — are not necessarily top-end starters. Bello could be one, but putting that type of responsibility on him following his first full season in the big leagues might be too much.

Despite this, Cora remains optimistic about his group and believes the Red Sox can still add to the rotation via free agency.

“I’m comfortable,” said Cora. “Like I’ve been saying all along, the offseason isn’t over. And Craig and the group, they are still working. There are a lot of good players out there, and we all know that.

“I think that 29 other organizations are doing their homework and trying to get better. So, regardless of the news today, it’s something that we are still doing as an organization. We’ll see what happens.”

The Sox have been linked to lefthander Jordan Montgomery, who remains a free agent. Montgomery’s wife, McKenzie, is currently in a medical residency in Boston, and Montgomery worked out in Boston during the offseason, throwing some bullpens at Boston College. Many in the industry believe that Boston is Montgomery’s preferred destination.

“I think over the last couple of weeks, I do think it’s become evident that there are a number of guys that we have in camp that appear ready to take a step forward,” said Breslow. “We’ve also maintained that if there is an opportunity to improve the team through some external acquisition, [we would] be responsible in trying to track that down, as well.”