Just weeks after elbow surgery, Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito went public with his plans to try the unthinkable. In an appearance on The Chris Rose Rotation podcast in April, Giolito — who underwent an internal bracing procedure to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his pitching elbow on March 13 — said he planned to try to return by the end of the 2024 season.
Three months later, Giolito is ready to concede that’s not going to happen. Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox training staff put the kibosh on Giolito’s aggressive plan and has him fully focused on trying to get back for Opening Day in 2025.
“They shut that down,” Giolito said, smiling, during a lengthy conversation with MassLive last week in Miami. “I tried to convince them. I tried to bring the idea up and it’s just not in the cards. I think it’s always good to set lofty goals, but with the rehab and everything, I’m going to be in a better position. The team’s going to be in a better position to rehab through this year and then get ramped up and ready for a full season next year.”
That Giolito (as expected) will miss the entirety of 2024 doesn’t mean he’s not making progress. Saturday marks the four-month mark since he went under the knife and he continues to receive treatment on his elbow while strengthening his shoulder. If all goes well, the right-hander said, he’ll be able to start playing catch by the end of July, marking an important first step on the road back.
“Working with the training staff, it’s been fantastic,” Giolito said. “It’s just making sure to stay motivated every day. Hitting each little goal and looking forward to the next major step, which will be beginning my throwing program.
“We’re doing a lot of work on my shoulder. Obviously, letting this thing heal and doing whatever work for the forearm and the whole area surrounding the elbow. But a lot of that is just letting everything sink in. A lot of work for the shoulder, getting the shoulder in a really good spot so that when I come back throwing and start ramping up again we are already a step ahead of where I was before because we have so much time afforded to us now.”
It’s hard to envision Giolito’s Red Sox career getting off to a worse start than it did during spring training. After signing a complicated one-year, $19 million deal with Boston in late December, he arrived in Fort Myers looking like the veteran leader of an unproven pitching staff who, at the very least, would provide plenty of innings after logging at least 161⅔ in every full season since 2018. Just two starts (and 4 ⅓ innings) into his exhibition season, Giolito’s elbow started barking and he underwent an MRI that revealed ligament damage. He avoided Tommy John surgery (a full UCL reconstruction) but still had the internal brace procedure. His 2024 season was over before it started.
Giolito’s deal includes a player option for 2025 — valued at $19 million — that was basically built in as insurance were he to get hurt or struggle significantly this season. That’ll now be a no-brainer decision after a year off and Giolito will have been guaranteed $37 million over two years despite the injury. For Giolito, it’s a positive that he won’t have to face the uncertainty of free agency again after a lost season. But the situation still comes with its natural regrets.
“The contract is a tough one because if I’m getting paid this much money, I want to be contributing, which I’m not doing this year. So that’s definitely a tough pill to swallow,” he said. “At the same time, that’s the way it is. It just gives me that motivation to really get prepared and be ready to go for next season and have a good, full, healthy season coming back off of this. That’s why we’re putting the work in now. I like to live in the present so as far as contract stuff is concerned, that’s the last thing on my mind.”
Giolito, who turns 30 on Sunday, was expected to be one of the leaders of a young team. With more than six years of major league service under his belt, he has more experience than just four member’s of Boston’s pitching staff (Kenley Jansen, Liam Hendriks, Chase Anderson and Chris Martin). With that responsibility in mind, Giolito — instead of going to Fenway South or home to California — has remained in Boston while rehabbing and has been present at Fenway Park for home games this season. Last week, he traveled with the team in a move manager Alex Cora jokingly said was motivated by a desire to visit two fun cities in Miami and New York. While he’s getting healthy, Giolito has an open invitation to be around the team as much as possible and he’s making an impact even while sidelined.
“He’s a good guy and obviously he understands what it takes to be a big leaguer, to be a starter and to post every five days,” Cora said. “We were talking about workload the other day. He was a little surprised I took Kutter (Crawford) out (after 72 pitches) Tuesday and we talked about where we’re at inning-wise and what we’re trying to accomplish with these guys.
“He’s engaged. He goes and watches bullpen and talks to (pitching coaches Andrew Bailey and Kevin Walker). Obviously, not having him, it sucks. But at the same time, having the person and the big leaguer is very important for us.”
Being around the team has also benefited Giolito, who has been one of baseball’s workhorses over the last few years and has had trouble coming to grips with his new reality in 2024.
“When you’re in that full-year rehab process, it’s really easy to get caught up in it and you can get caught up in your own feelings and what you’re doing and the monotony of rehab work,” Giolito said. “Guys can start to feel isolated from the team or feel like you’re not part of the team. I think that it’s important to do everything you can to maintain that identity of being a really good teammate even when you’re not able to contribute on the field.
“Just going through day-to-day rehab, taking a step back, seeing the game from a different perspective, it’s really made me appreciate the privilege it is to compete and compete at this level,” he added. “I’ve been doing it for a long time — not as long as some other guys in this room — but I’ve been doing it for a long time.
“I wouldn’t say I was taking it for granted, but I’d been healthy for so long and pitching for so long that I was like, ‘This is normal. This is my life.’ To have it taken away for a full season, I’m really developing an appreciation for what I get to do for a living, like on a whole other level.”
Even without Giolito anchoring things, the Red Sox’ rotation has performed well throughout the first half. Led by All-Star Tanner Houck, the group has combined to post the seventh-best rotation ERA (3.60) in baseball — a major reason why the club is 49-40 with six games to go before the All-Star break. With a front row seat, Giolito has come away impressed.
“I feel like a lot of the time I’m just trying to get out of the way because they’re pitching so freaking well,” he said. “Seeing the young talent and seeing these guys start to really come into their own, I can’t wait to be a part of it next year and just do everything I can to help us win games next year.
“It just fuels that fire to put that hard work in and come back strong next year. I really can’t wait to compete and pitch again.”
For now, Giolito will continue to rehab his arm in hopes of beginning to ramp up soon. His legs are getting a workout, too, as he gets to know the city he’ll call home at least through 2025.
“Been walking around (Boston) a bunch. It’s a fun city to walk around for sure,” Giolito said. “Really enjoy the North End. The Italian food and pastries, eating cannolis and whatnot. It’s a really beautiful city. My girlfriend and I are enjoying it immensely. And then obviously going to Fenway and watching these games at Fenway, it’s the best place. It’s the best ballpark in America. Best atmosphere to play in. So again, I can’t wait until next season.”