Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito is set to miss the American League wild-card series due to an elbow injury. The 31-year-old right-hander was initially intended to start the third game of the best-of-three series, following Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello in Boston’s pitching lineup.
Garrett Crochet expressed the impact of Giolito’s absence, saying, “It’s a big blow. He’s a great arm and I think that he strikes fear in opposing lineups.” Giolito’s situation took him to seek further examination by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Notably, Dr. Dugas had previously conducted internal brace surgery on Giolito’s ulnar collateral ligament on March 12 of the previous year.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora commented, “He’s been battling with his elbow the last few days, and today he went to see Dr. Dugas. Hopefully, it’s nothing major, but he won’t be ready for this one.”
In light of Giolito’s absence, left-handers Connelly Early and Kyle Harrison are being considered for the potential Game 3 start. Meanwhile, the New York lineup plans to use left-handers Max Fried and Carlos Rodón in the initial games, followed by rookie Cam Schlittler.
In September, Giolito experienced a decline in his performance, with his average fastball velocity decreasing from 93.9 mph to 92.1 mph by his final start at Toronto. He was 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA in four September starts, contrasting with his earlier performance where he went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in August.
Alex Cora described Giolito’s recent struggles, noting, “I believe he was fighting it. He was going to throw a bullpen during the week, and we had to cut it short. After Saturday, Sunday, he didn’t look too good, especially yesterday.”
Despite the injury, Giolito had a notable season, achieving a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts. Giolito, an All-Star in 2019, has a career record of 71-66 with a 4.30 ERA over nine major league seasons across various teams including Washington, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland, and Boston.