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Marlins Notes: Hill, Cabrera, Morlando

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Derek Hill has seemingly pulled ahead of Dane Myers for the Marlins starting center field job, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Both players have put up solid numbers this spring, and Jackson suggests they’re each likely to begin the year on the active roster.

Hill, 29, is out of options and cannot be sent down without going on waivers. The former first-round pick has bounced around the waiver wire for the past couple seasons. Miami claimed the speedster last August. Hill hit .234/.259/.402 with four homers through 114 plate appearances. He showed decent pop but struck out 39 times while drawing only two walks. Hill’s plate discipline has been an issue throughout his career. He’s a .233/.276/.353 hitter with a 30% strikeout rate in 476 big league plate appearances.

Myers has better numbers in a smaller sample. The 29-year-old has a .265/.315/.407 slash through 178 trips to the plate. That’d be difficult to sustain unless he improves upon a 30.9% strikeout rate. Myers still has an option remaining, so the Marlins could send him to Triple-A. His ability to play all three outfield positions would give him a good chance to stick as a fourth outfielder even if he loses the center field camp battle.

Hill has hit .259/.375/.481 with five walks and seven strikeouts in nine games this spring. He has connected on a pair of home runs. Myers is hitting .300/.481/.300 with seven walks and strikeouts apiece over nine contests. He doesn’t have an extra-base hit yet.

The Marlins have very little certainty in their position player group. Right fielder Jesús Sánchez and shortstop Xavier Edwards are the only two players who should have lineup spots secured even if they get out to slow starts. There’s more stability in the rotation. Sandy Alcantara, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill and Edward Cabrera entered camp with decent holds on starting spots.

Cabrera’s status could be in question after he left Thursday’s start with a blister on his middle finger (link via Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald). Manager Clayton McCullough downplayed the concern, though this has been a recurring issue. A blister on the same finger sent Cabrera to the injured list in the final week of the 2021 season.

Even if he’s healthy enough to start the season, the 26-year-old righty’s performance could put his rotation spot in jeopardy. Cabrera has been rocked for 10 runs on seven hits (including three homers) with four walks and two hit batters in only 3 2/3 innings this spring. Valente Bellozo, who had a 3.67 ERA but uninspiring peripherals in 13 starts last season, would probably be the next man up. Bellozo hasn’t done himself many favors in camp either, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits (four homers) through 8 1/3 frames.

In other news out of camp, 2024 first-round pick PJ Morlando will not play in the Spring Breakout prospect series. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports that Morlando underwent an ulnar nerve transposition on his left (non-throwing) elbow on Wednesday. He’ll be sidelined for 8-10 weeks and will begin the season on the minor league injured list. Morlando, a lefty-hitting outfielder, was the 16th pick out of high school last summer. A back injury limited him to one game after the draft. Baseball America ranks him eighth among Miami prospects, praising his offensive upside but writing that he’ll likely end up in the corner outfield or at first base.

Rays Release Jake Brentz

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The Rays announced this afternoon that they’ve released Jake Brentz. The lefty reliever was in camp as a non-roster invitee after signing a minor league deal in December.

Brentz struggled this spring. He pitched six times and allowed four runs (three earned) across 4 1/3 innings. The 30-year-old walked seven batters and uncorked a couple wild pitches. It was a continuation of Brentz’s massive control woes from last season. He walked a staggering 29.2% of opposing hitters in 30 innings with the Royals’ top two affiliates last year.

It’s impossible to have any kind of success with that many free passes. Brentz allowed more than 11 earned runs per nine innings. Kansas City outrighted him off their 40-man roster in June. He elected minor league free agency at the end of the season.

While Brentz has never been a good strike-thrower, the control problems have dramatically escalated within the past year-plus. That could be attributable to injury. Brentz underwent UCL surgery in June 2022 and only managed three minor league appearances late in ’23. Some pitchers struggle to rediscover their mechanics coming out of an extended rehab. The Rays were hopeful that Brentz would dial things back in this spring, but he clearly wasn’t pitching his way into the MLB bullpen.

Before the surgery, Brentz looked like a potential setup man in Kansas City. He had an impressive rookie season in 2021. Brentz worked to a 3.66 earned run average across 64 innings that year. He struck out 27.3% of batters faced while averaging 97 MPH on his heater. Even with a lofty 13.3% walk rate, he recorded 15 holds and two saves. Another club could offer him a minor league deal to give him an opportunity to try to find workable command in a Triple-A setting.

Padres Have Received Interest From Around Nine Teams On Dylan Cease

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Around nine teams have been in contact with the Padres to express interest in Dylan Cease, writes Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman lists the Cubs, Mets and all five AL East teams among that group. The remaining two clubs are unknown, though The Athletic reported in January that the Twins had shown interest.

A pre-Opening Day trade still seems highly unlikely. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote earlier this week that the Padres were only willing to entertain trading their top starter if they received a significant offensive upgrade in the return package. They’d almost certainly want a controllable starting pitcher who could immediately replace Cease in the rotation as well. That’s a difficult asking price for another team to meet, especially without impactful hitters remaining in free agency to backfill the lineup.

Cease was traded midway through last year’s Spring Training. That was a different situation, as the White Sox were in full rebuild mode when they dealt him to the Padres. San Diego expects to compete for a playoff spot despite budget limitations that kept them from doing much of significance until they added Nick Pivetta on a backloaded four-year deal. Cease worked 189 1/3 innings of 3.47 ERA ball during his first season in San Diego. He struck out 29.4% of opponents and fanned 224 hitters overall — his fourth consecutive season above the 200 mark.

The Padres and Cease agreed to a $13.75MM salary for his final arbitration season. He’d be a lock for a qualifying offer when he hits free agency next winter unless the Friars deal him midseason, which would make him ineligible to receive the QO. Cease will be heading into his age-30 season and could command a contract above $200MM. While the Padres don’t seem optimistic about their chances of re-signing him, they’d obviously take a major downgrade to this year’s rotation if they trade him.

Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported earlier this week that the Orioles and Cubs were monitoring the rotation market. Baltimore will begin the season without Grayson Rodriguez. Chicago’s rotation hasn’t taken any huge injury hits, though they’ll be without Javier Assad for a few weeks. They’re reportedly in talks with free agent Lance Lynn, who’d be a much less costly but far lower-upside addition at the back of the rotation.

The Mets (Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea) and Yankees (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil) have each lost multiple starters to injuries this spring. It has been particularly rough in the Bronx. Gil will likely miss the first half of the season with a lat strain. Cole will be out into the middle of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Nevertheless, respective baseball operations leaders David Stearns and Brian Cashman have indicated the New York teams are content with their internal options to weather those losses.

Boston already parted with two top prospects to add an impact starter in the Garrett Crochet deal. Toronto and Tampa Bay have rotations that arguably each run six deep. The Jays are likely to use Yariel Rodríguez in long relief. The Rays could consider trading one of their starters to settle on a five-man group. That could theoretically position Toronto or Tampa Bay to include a controllable starter in a Cease package, though there’s nothing to suggest the Padres are in anything more than due diligence mode with Opening Day two weeks off.

Silverman: Rays Are “Not For Sale”

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The Rays announced this morning that they will not proceed with the plan to construct a $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg. The organization has telegraphed that decision for months. The Rays maintain that a delay in approval for public funding from the city and Pinellas County in the wake of the hurricanes has contributed to untenable cost overruns — which were to be the team’s responsibility under the initial plan.

Unsurprisingly, that decision has further strained an already tense relationship between the team and local officials. St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch told reporters he “(has) no interest in working with this ownership group,” adding that the “bridge has been burned” (link via Colleen Wright of The Tampa Bay Times). County commissioner Chris Latvala also called for owner Stu Sternberg to sell the franchise. “I think the best way to keep baseball in Tampa Bay is for Stu Sternberg to sell the Rays,” he said (link via Sam Blum of The Athletic). “This was probably one of the best stadium deals that an owner has ever received in professional sports, and it wasn’t good enough for Stu Sternberg.”

This all comes a few days after The Athletic reported that commissioner Rob Manfred and various owners have privately urged Sternberg to sell. Team president Matt Silverman reiterated that’s not currently on the table. “The team is not for sale,” Silverman told Tom Krasniqi of 95.3 FM in Tampa Bay. Asked about the report that Sternberg was under pressure from the league, the team president acknowledged “the other owners aren’t happy with where our revenues are” but implied that proceeding with the stadium deal would have been “a mistake that (results) in us continuing to be an outlier and not being able to generate the necessary revenues to be a full-fledged member of Major League Baseball.”

That aligns with Sternberg’s previous comments. “If it was (for sale), people would know it,” the owner told The Tampa Bay Times last month. “I’ve always been, and I will continue to be, pretty transparent about our intentions. And pretty — not pretty — but very honest about them. And I have been.”

In December, the Rays said in a statement that they wanted to renegotiate with the city and county to “solve this funding gap together.” Local officials have maintained they will not approve more public funding. Welch stated this afternoon that St. Petersburg is through working with Sternberg’s ownership group. Silverman, in line with the Rays’ previous comments, said the team is interested in continuing discussions on a new deal (presumably with more public money).

“It doesn’t change our devotion to the Tampa Bay area. It doesn’t change our desire to figure something out. It just means this specific project on this specific timeline isn’t going to happen,” he told Krasniqi. He added that the Rays “will continue to look to the city and the county for those conversations and see how we can reengage and see if there’s a solution here because we were close.”

Additionally, it seems they’ll try to initiate new discussions with the City of Tampa, which is located in Hillsborough County. “I think we will because we have to look at all possibilities within our region to figure out an answer,” Silverman said. “We haven’t had any conversations with anyone on the Tampa/Hillsborough side. We can’t until after March 31 (the official expiration date of the St. Petersburg deal).”

Tampa mayor Jane Castor released a statement to The Tampa Bay Times that expressed openness to conversations:

“I am disappointed to hear that the Rays don’t intend to follow through with stadium plans in St. Petersburg. The goal always has been to keep the team in Tampa Bay. The City, Tampa Sports Authority, and County are happy to speak with the team once again, but any proposal will have to make sense for our taxpayers and community.”

With the St. Petersburg deal falling apart, there’ll be speculation from outside the organization about relocation. MLB said this afternoon that the league remains committed to the region. The Rays would need to get approval from the league to explore opportunities outside the Tampa Bay area.

The Rays will play the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field. They’re hoping to return to Tropicana Field for the 2026-28 seasons. The team’s lease at the Trop initially ran through ’27 but was pushed back a year with the team not playing there this season. St. Petersburg is responsible for repairing the damage to the Trop, which will reportedly cost around $55.7MM.

Rafael Devers Discusses Role With Red Sox

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Ever since the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, there’s been an unanswered question about how he’ll fit onto the roster. The club already had Rafael Devers at third base and he seemed disinterested in moving anywhere else when discussing the matter last month. Devers spoke with the media again today with a slightly different tone, as relayed by reporters including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic and Sean McAdam of MassLive.

Devers revealed that he has shared some thoughts with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Álex Cora, but didn’t go into detail about what he said in those conversations. “We spoke already, and I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” said Devers through translator Daveson Perez. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that, and they know where I stand. I’m just ready to play.”

He was also asked how he would feel if he were the designated hitter on Opening Day, with Bregman at third. “Good,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. I don’t call the shots around here. So I feel good. I’ll go out there and do what I need to do.”

There are a few elements making the situation awkward. Bregman is clearly the better defender, for one. For his career, Devers has tallies of -62 Defensive Runs Saved and -29 Outs Above Average at the hot corner. Bregman has +27 DRS and +22 OAA. Devers also battled soreness in both shoulders last year and spent most of the winter trying to build strength in those shoulders. He has been a bit behind schedule in terms of game action. He still hasn’t appeared in any official spring contests, just live batting practice and intrasquad games.

Devers tried to downplay the issue with his shoulders today. “I really don’t know why there’s been such a big deal made about my shoulders,” Devers said. “Since the first day here at camp, I’ve been saying that my shoulders are good, and that they’re good right now. So I don’t know why it’s been put out there, the rumors of my shoulders being bad, but they’re good right now.”

Though there are on-paper reasons to put Bregman at third, Devers has understandably been less than thrilled by the changes. Last month, he said that he was promised he could be a long-term third baseman when he signed his ten-year extension in January of 2023. But it was implied by Cora that the third base promise was made by previous CBO Chaim Bloom, who was later fired and now works for the Cardinals.

It had been speculated that the Sox could move Bregman to second base, where he has some limited experience, while having Devers at third. But Bregman has only been at the hot corner during spring, so moving him to the keystone doesn’t seem to be in the short-term plans. Perhaps that suggests Devers will be a primary designated hitter this year, though no firm declarations to that effect have been publicly made by any team personnel.

If Devers is the DH on something like an everyday basis, that would mean Masataka Yoshida would have to be in the outfield mix. It’s possible that Yoshida could start the season on the IL due to his own shoulder injury, though he may have to try to crack the outfield mix whenever he’s healthy.

As of now, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu project as the regular outfielders, though Abreu will start the season on the IL as he recovers from a gastrointestinal virus. Rob Refsnyder might get more playing time in the short term, or perhaps non-roster invitee Trayce Thompson. As the season goes along, prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell might factor in, though Campbell could also take the second base job if Bregman isn’t in it. Guys like David Hamilton, Romy González, Nick Sogard or Vaughn Grissom could hold the keystone for the time being.

There are still many moving pieces and the arrangement on Opening Day might be very different from the way the club lines up throughout the year, depending on health and performance. But it will be a situation worth watching, both this year and down the road. Bregman can opt out of his contract after each year, so he might not be in Boston in 2026. However, Devers’ poor defense has often led to speculation about him moving to first base or DH at some point. If the Sox decide to move him off now, they may not want to move him back next year even if Bregman is gone.

For now, Devers has made his position clear to the club’s decision makers but has also accepted that the situation is out of his control. “I just want to help the team win,” he said today. “At the end of the day, whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and as a way to get better. That’s how I see it, I’m ready to help the team win.”

Poll: Will The Braves Add A Catcher?

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At the outset of the offseason, the Braves made a surprising move to decline their club option on veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud despite prior indications being that they’d planned to exercise the option. Things turned out just fine for d’Arnaud, who signed a two-year deal with the Angels shortly thereafter, but the decision came back to bite Atlanta when starting catcher Sean Murphy suffered a cracked rib that will keep him out of action through at least the middle of April.

When Murphy missed time due to an oblique issue last year, d’Arnaud was there to step in as a capable regular option. This year, they’ll have no such ready-made answer locked and loaded on the roster. That’s not to say the club has no internal options; youngster Drake Baldwin is a well-regarded prospect who already seemed likely to make his MLB debut at some point this year, and Chadwick Tromp was already in line to make the roster as the club’s backup catcher. Baldwin has raked this spring to the tune of a .368/.520/.474 slash line, and perhaps that’s enough to convince Atlanta brass to give him the reins for the start of the season while Murphy recovers.

However, it’s hardly a reliable solution to the issue. Baldwin has yet to take a major league at-bat, and he struggled offensively at the Double-A level just last year before turning his season around upon his promotion to Triple-A. And if Baldwin proves unprepared to handle the big leagues, Tromp isn’t a viable starting option. The soon to be 30-year-old backstop has just 59 games and 156 plate appearances under his belt over parts of five seasons in the majors. In that time, he’s hit just .232/.237/.397 with a wRC+ of 66. While it’s not impossible to imagine more regular playing time in the majors allowing Tromp to perform better, 47 catchers produced more offense that Tromp’s career numbers across at least 100 plate appearances in the majors last year.

The Braves do have a pair of non-roster invitees in camp who could step in, but neither inspires confidence. Sandy Leon didn’t play in the majors at all last year, last had even 100 plate appearances in a season back in 2021, and is a career .208/.276/.311 hitter. Fellow NRI Curt Casali has a somewhat stronger track record, having played at least 40 games in the majors every year since 2018 (excluding the 60-game 2020 season where he appeared in 31 games for the Reds), but hit just .194/.293/.250 for the Giants in 125 trips to the plate last year.

Given all of the uncertainty facing Atlanta, an external addition can’t be ruled out. It’s been reported that the club made an offer to Yasmani Grandal even prior to Murphy’s injury. While Grandal turned that deal down, it signals the club already had reservations about its catching depth and it’s at least possible that the sides could circle back to each other with Opening Day fast approaching and additional playing time having opened up for Grandal.

Other options on the free agent market are few and far between. James McCann and Yan Gomes remain unsigned, but other options could emerge in the coming days as veterans on minor league deals with other teams begin to get the opportunity to opt out and return to free agency.

Jorge Alfaro, Omar Narvaez, and Tucker Barnhart are among the veterans in camp with other clubs who could return to free agency if they don’t make their current club’s Opening Day roster. It’s also at least possible that a club with an excess of catching options on the 40-man roster like the Twins could either make one of their backstops available on waivers or via trade, though trades of particular note are quite rare at this stage of the calendar. While none of the options likely to be available are game changers, they could offer a higher floor than any of Atlanta’s current options and allow the club to avoid rushing Baldwin to the majors.

How do you think the Braves will approach the situation? Will they take Murphy’s injury as an opportunity to give Baldwin regular playing time and stand pat with their internal options, or will they instead look to upgrade over a potential tandem of Baldwin and Tromp by bringing in a more reliable veteran to help handle the pitching staff? Have your say in the poll below:

Will Atlanta bring in a catcher while Murphy is injured?
No, they'll stick with who they have in-house. 64.46% (2,497 votes)
Yes, they'll add someone else to the mix. 35.54% (1,377 votes)
Total Votes: 3,874

Tigers Acquire Bailey Horn

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The Tigers have acquired left-hander Bailey Horn from the Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations, according to announcements from both clubs. The southpaw was designated for assignment earlier today when the Cards signed Phil Maton. Detroit had an open 40-man spot after putting José Urquidy on the 60-day injured list recently. They have already optioned Horn to Triple-A Toledo.

The Tigers clearly have a fondness for Horn. The Red Sox put him on waivers in November, with the Tigers putting in a claim at that time. He stuck on the Detroit roster for over a month but he was bumped off when they signed Gleyber Torres in December, which led to the Cardinals claiming Horn off waivers. As mentioned, he was DFA’d by St. Louis just a few hours ago but the Tigers quickly pounced and put down some cash to acquire him again.

Horn, 27, has a very limited major league profile. He debuted with Boston last year, allowing 13 earned runs in 18 innings. His 14.8% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate in that time were both subpar numbers.

Detroit is surely putting more weight in Horn’s minor league numbers, where he has shown huge strikeout potential but also a lack of control. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 213 1/3 innings for various minor league clubs with a combined 4.26 ERA. His 12.7% walk rate on the farm is certainly high but he also punched out 29% of batters faced.

As mentioned, Horn has already been optioned, so the Tigers seem to view him as a depth arm for the time being. He can head to Triple-A and try to rein in his control, while being shuttled to the majors when necessary. Tyler Holton will give Detroit one lefty at the big league level, while Andrew Chafin could give them another if his contract is selected. Brant Hurter might be in the mix but likely more as a long man. Horn and Sean Guenther give the club a couple of optionable southpaws to be called upon as needed.

Tyler Stephenson To Get MRI On Back

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Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup due to some back pain, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reported yesterday. Today, manager Terry Francona tells Sheldon that the backstop is headed for an MRI.

“He’s going to be fine,” Francona said yesterday. “It just didn’t seem to make sense to push something through.” While Francona downplayed the severity of the issue yesterday, the fact that Stephenson is going for an MRI today suggests that it perhaps didn’t improve as hoped in the past 24 hours or so.

Ideally, the MRI will find nothing and Stephenson can be back in the lineup soon, but it will be a situation worth monitoring since the Reds don’t have a ton of depth behind the plate. Stephenson and Jose Trevino are the only two catchers on the 40-man roster at the moment. Trevino is an excellent defender but has hit just .236/.275/.362 in his career, production which translates to a wRC+ of 74.

Stephenson, on the other hand, isn’t well regarded behind the plate but has hit .267/.343/.427 in his career for a 106 wRC+. He is likely to take the bulk of the time at the catching position, though Trevino would have to step up if Stephenson needed to miss any time. That would be an upgrade defensively but a downgrade offensively.

The club would also need to figure out who to add to the roster alongside Trevino. Austin Wynns is a veteran who is in camp as a non-roster invitee. His defense is generally ranked as adequate but he has only hit .230/.277/.332 in his 673 big league plate appearances, leading to a 65 wRC+. He played for the Reds a bit last year and they re-signed him to a minor league deal, so they clearly like him as a depth option.

The chart will look fairly thin if Stephenson needs time on the injured list, though some other players might shake loose as camps break. Players like Tomás Nido (Tigers), Reese McGuire (Cubs) and Luke Maile (Royals) are currently NRIs with other clubs and might be available as final roster decisions are made in the coming weeks. Though for the Reds, they best-case scenario would just be a healthy Stephenson.

Cubs Have Reportedly Had Talks With Lance Lynn

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The Cubs and veteran righty Lance Lynn are in talks on a potential one-year deal, reports USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who adds that the Cubs are eyeing some further rotation depth. That said, Lynn could potentially emerge as a bullpen piece. The right-hander told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal earlier in the offseason that his agent had gotten calls from teams curious about using Lynn out of the bullpen, and he sounded open to the idea at the time.

Lynn, 37, spent the 2024 season with his original club, the division-rival Cardinals. He made 23 mostly solid starts, logging a 3.84 ERA with a 21.3% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate in 117 1/3  innings. The righty averaged only five innings per appearance and had a pair of 15-day IL stints due to discomfort and inflammation in his right knee.

Even with the limited workload, it was a bounceback effort for the 13-year veteran, who’d been torched for a 5.73 earned run average in 183 innings between the White Sox and Dodgers the year prior. Lynn was baseball’s most homer-prone starter that year, serving up an average of 2.16 long balls per nine frames. He trimmed that to a far more manageable 1.23 in his return effort with the Cardinals.

If the two parties to come to terms, Lynn would be a fairly surprising addition. Chicago already has Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd locked into rotation spots. Presumptive fifth starter Javier Assad will open on the injured list due to an oblique strain but isn’t expected to be sidelined long-term. In the meantime, swingman Colin Rea could step into the rotation after signing a one-year, $5MM contract earlier in the winter.

The Cubs also have several young arms who are on the cusp of MLB readiness. Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks and Caleb Kilian are all already on the 40-man roster, as is journeyman Cody Poteet. Prospects Cade Horton and Brandon Birdsell aren’t yet on the 40-man but have both reached Triple-A. Horton, in particular, is generally ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects.

Any of those arms might need to be relied upon in the early stages of the season anyhow, as at this point it’s hard to imagine Lynn would be ready to jump into a big league rotation or bullpen with domestic Opening Day just two weeks out. The Cubs’ season, of course, starts next week during their Tokyo Series showdown against the Dodgers.

Chicago’s payroll currently sits at an estimated $194.6MM, per RosterResource, while their estimated CBT number checks in at $214.5MM. That places them $26.5MM away from the luxury tax threshold. Signing Lynn on what would surely be an affordable one-year deal would still leave the Cubs with more than $20MM in space between their current levels and that CBT barrier, providing ample room for in-season dealings as the front office sees fit.

Lucas Giolito To Begin Season On Injured List

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Red Sox righty Lucas Giolito will begin the 2025 season on the 15-day injured list, manager Alex Cora announced this morning (link via Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe). Giolito exited his Grapefruit League debut earlier this week after one inning due to tightness in his hamstring. A subsequent MRI revealed a low-grade strain, the right-hander himself revealed to the team’s beat this morning (link via MassLive’s Sean McAdam). While Giolito isn’t being shut down from throwing entirely, it seems they’ll back off enough that Opening Day won’t be realistic.

Giolito, 30, signed a two-year, $38.5MM contract with the Sox in the 2023-24 offseason but has yet to throw a regular season pitch for them. A partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow last spring led to an internal brace procedure that wiped out his entire 2024 campaign. His elbow was healthy enough to get back on the mound this week and put him in position to break camp in the rotation, but the hamstring issue will prevent that from happening. The team hasn’t put forth a specific timetable for his return, though it’s relatively encouraging that it’s being termed “low-grade” and that Giolito is still throwing.

The Red Sox will now open the season with three starting pitchers on the injured list. Giolito joins Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Kutter Crawford (knee) in that regard. That leaves the Red Sox with a group including Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler and two of Quinn Priester, Richard Fitts, Cooper Criswell and Josh Winckowski in the rotation.

Giolito tells Rob Bradford of WEEI that he doesn’t feel the IL stint is necessary but acknowledged that it’s the team’s call. “If I were in charge, I would like to throw a ’pen tomorrow,” says Giolito. “I don’t know they want me to do that.” The right-hander notes that he felt 100% after playing catch this morning and is hoping it’ll be a minimum stay on the injured list.

With two starters already shelved, it seems the Sox will opt for the extra cautious route despite some ostensible protest from Giolito himself. The team can ill afford to see Giolito go down with a more severe strain that’d sideline him for a lengthier period. If he’s out for only a minimal stay, he could be reinstated just 12 days into the 2025 campaign, as Opening Day IL placements can be backdated by the maximum three days.

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