Giolito to have elbow surgery
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox righthander Lucas Giolito is scheduled for elbow surgery in Alabama on Tuesday afternoon, the extent of which is to be determined.
Giolito tore his ulnar collateral ligament while facing the Twins on March 1. He saw Dr. Jeffrey Dugas for a second opinion Monday. Dugas confirmed the initial diagnosis and will handle the surgery.
“We’ll know more when they go in,” Sox manager Alex Cora said. “The type of surgery, we don’t know.”
Giolito had Tommy John surgery in 2012 after being drafted by the Nationals. Whether he needs that surgery again or a less-invasive internal brace procedure will determine the length of his absence.
Giolito is sure to miss all of the upcoming season and perhaps some of 2025. He was signed to a two-year, $38.5 million contract in December.
Criswell looks sharp
Cooper Criswell threw 3„ scoreless innings in a 1-0 victory against the Pirates, further impressing the Sox.
“We see him as a starter until he’s not,” Cora said. “Whatever decision we make, I’m intrigued.”
Criswell had a 5.97 ERA over 12 games with the Angels and Rays from 2021-23. The Sox were impressed with his slider and felt he would benefit from a weighted ball program to increase velocity on his fastball.
“I’m willing to do whatever they ask of me,” Criswell said. “Whether that’s to start or come out of the pen in long relief.”
Criswell is competing for a spot on the major league roster or could be in the Triple A rotation. He said the Sox impressed him by presenting a personalized plan for improvement. They have changed the grip on his cutter and improved his fastball a bit.
He has allowed four earned runs over 10‚ innings in spring training and struck out 10.
“The slider is that good,” Cora said. “The changeup to righties is that good. We’ve just got to maintain the velocity throughout the outing.”
Injury updates
Chris Martin, who felt groin soreness warming up for a mound session Saturday, was back on the field playing catch. There’s no schedule for when Martin will get back on the mound, but Cora isn’t yet worried about his availability for Opening Day.
“Feeling better,” Cora said. “He’s going to keep his arm moving.”
Fellow old-timer Kenley Jansen is set for live batting practice Tuesday and his first game Friday.
Tyler O’Neill, out a few days with a sore left calf, had a full workout and should be in the lineup Tuesday.
Vaughn Grissom, who has yet to play because of a groin strain, will restart baseball activities soon but remains likely to open the season on the injured list.
“Just have to be patient,” Cora said. “It’s not something that is going to take months.”
Righthander Zack Kelly, out of action with an oblique strain, has started playing catch.
Cron in the swing
First baseman C.J. Cron, who agreed to a minor league deal March 3, played in his first game. He was 0 for 2 and played four innings in the field. A productive hitter for much of his career, Cron dealt with a back injury last season and had a .729 OPS for the Rockies and Angels.
“Health is the most important thing,” Cora said. “There’s constant communication with him. I don’t want to push him, but he wants to make the team . . . Hopefully he can make it a tough decision for us.”
Cron didn’t need surgery. He went through rehab over the winter and feels he’s largely back to normal.
“Today was progress,” he said.
Let’s make a deal
The Sox came to terms on oneyear, pre-arbitration deals with pitchers Brennan Bernardino, Isaiah Campbell, Kutter Crawford, Wikelman Gonzalez, Tanner Houck, Joe Jacques, Zack Kelly, Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, Luis Perales, Justin Slaten, Brandon Walter, Greg Weissert, and Josh Winckowski.
Position players Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas, Bobby Dalbec, Jarren Duran, Romy Gonzalez, Grissom, David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, Pablo Reyes, Enmanuel Valdez, and Connor Wong also signed.
Such contracts do not close the door on extensions.
The minimum major league salary is $740,000. Houck ($770,000) and Reyes ($764,000) had the highest salaries of the group, according to a major league source, followed by Casas, Crawford, Dalbec, Duran, Winckowski, and Wong ($760,000).
Bernardino landed $756,000. The others were between $749,500 and the minimum.
The Sox, like other teams, use a formula based largely on service time.