Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito is dealing with an elbow issue and won’t be included on Boston’s roster for their Wild Card Series showdown with the archrival Yankees, manager Alex Cora told reporters at today’s media session (link via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com). Cora did not provide a specific diagnosis or tip his hand as to whether Giolito would be available in subsequent rounds, should the Red Sox advance. Giolito would’ve been Boston’s starter for a potential Game 3 of the series. He’ll see a specialist today, MassLive’s Sean McAdam adds.
Giolito, 31, missed the entire 2024 season due to UCL surgery but returned with a flourish in 2025, firing 145 frames of 3.41 ERA ball. That number is inflated a bit by a poor start to the season; from June 10 onward, he made 19 starts with a 2.51 ERA. Giolito’s 19.7% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate contributed to more tepid evaluations from metrics like FIP (4.17) and SIERA (4.66), but his bottom-line results were unequivocally strong, even if their sustainability merited some skepticism.
Upon reaching 140 innings pitched this season, Giolito triggered a vesting clause in his $14MM club option that converted it into a $19MM mutual option. When he reached that threshold, it appeared all but certain that the right-hander would turn down his end of the mutual option and reenter the market. Suddenly, the health of his elbow clouds that decision. If the issue is serious, the Red Sox will surely decline their end and send Giolito into free agency anyhow, but he’ll return to the open market under very different circumstances than seemed likely even one week ago.
Giolito did experience a velocity drop of some note in September. After averaging 93.4 mph on his heater through the season’s first five months, he averaged 92.5 mph on his four-seamer over his final five appearances — including a season-low 92.1 mph in his final appearance. He still posted a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings in those outings, but he also issued 18 walks. At first glance, that could’ve been chalked up to fatigue for a pitcher who didn’t throw a single inning in ’24 but was pushing up toward 150 frames in the stretch run — but word of a possible elbow injury now makes that late slide all the more concerning.
The Red Sox figure to have more information on Giolito’s status later in the week, once he’s met with that specialist and discussed any findings with team brass. That’ll determine his availability — or lack thereof — for potential appearances in the ALDS, ALCS or World Series, depending how far Boston progresses in the postseason. For the series at hand, the elbow trouble for Giolito likely thrusts one of the team’s promising young lefties, like Connelly Early or Kyle Harrison, into that Game 3 start. Top prospect Payton Tolle was moved to the bullpen in early September and hasn’t pitched more than three innings in an outing since Sept. 29 as a result, so he’s not likely to get the nod.
“My name is Lucas…I live on the second floor…I live upstairs from you and I think you’ve seen me before.”
… well played.
So the Sox will more than likely start Early or Harrison if the series makes it to a winner take all game 3. Yikes.
I think the game actually starts in primetime, not Early.
Wow …. so he pushed himself to get the 140 innings, and now …?
Good thing Early is available to start.
Explains the ineffectiveness in his last few starts. Harrison and Early have been decent, maybe throw DeLeon
Probably not the worst thing in the world for the Sox to have 2 of their 3 starters in a best of 3 series in NY be lefties.
ken – Ummmm …. Yanks lead MLB with a .797 OPS vs LHP.
And they lead MLB with a .783 OPS vs RHP.
The short porch in Yankee Stadium won’t be much of a factor. If the Sox pitchers pitch well, they will win.
Rsox – I mentioned this just a couple days ago, Bello has been far worse than Giolito this month.
As for Harrison, he’s been in 3 games with the Sox.
1 good relief appearance against Oakland on the 10th.
1 decent start against the Rays on the 20th
And then he was horrible in his most recent appearance, 7 hits and 3 walks in just 3 innings before getting pulled …. and that was against a Detroit team that has been struggling mightily.
Absolutely zero chance Harrison or DeLeon will start a Game 3. It will be Early hands down, with a short leash as all postseason-series-deciding games are typically all hands on deck.
No, not DeLeon. He did a nice job yesterday, but he isn’t the answer. Harrison, Early and (ugh) Tolle may be the chain of command should it come to that.
let – I agree, I too am shaking my head at those who want De Leon to start a decisive Game 3 in Yankee Stadium in the WC round.
Do they not realize he has a career ERA over 7 ??
Do they not realize he gave up 8 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings against a hungover Tigers team that didn’t have 6 of their best players?
It’s the postseason. If Early isn’t effective, you bring in Slaten early in the game like they did last Friday. You use Tolle for multiple innings. You use Whitlock multiple innings You use Chapman multiple innings.
You don’t throw a 7-ERA stiff who has started only 2 games during the last 4 years.
Thank f***
😬 not loving this news
Meow – That’s kinda rough. Giolito gave the Sox a very solid 145 innings, let’s be grateful for what he accomplished rather than harp on his unavailability in the postseason.
Remember, the Sox “big SP acquisition” was May. They totally bungled the trade deadline. If they lose in the WC round, it’s on the front office …. not on Giolito.
They don’t make pitchers like they used to.
They don’t pitch like they used to.
York – Agreed!
Back in the day they made pitchers with plywood, titanium-based alloys and mimetic polyalloy.
Now they are made with particle board, plastic and rubber bands.
He hasn’t gone more than 4/5 innings since August..not sure he would be any better than early or Harrison based on his performance the past month..and if it gets to game 3 giolito being there or not likely wouldn’t be a reason the sox would lose…he can’t hit
This development probably robs the club of a QO on Giolito. Just like an outside club might not chance a multi-year contract on Giolito with a suddenly iffy elbow, the Sox might not chance him staying for $22 mil. Since the Sox will be first-time payers of the CBT tax for 2025 (they’ve been under the first amount for a few years until now), that would have pushed the draft pick to a later round (maybe after the 4th?). Of course, the upside is if no one is interested in Giolito for the amount he’s looking for, the Sox might be an attractive place for a one-year pillow contract, say $15 mil for 2026.
Giolito is extremely HR-prone so this injury comes at a very good time.
“injury”