The Boston Red Sox have been hit hard by injuries to their starting rotation early in the season. Brayan Bello is set to make his 2025 debut on Tuesday after being sidelined during spring training with a right shoulder strain that landed him on the 15-day injured list. Richard Fitts is also out with a pectoral strain, while Kutter Crawford is dealing with patellar tendinopathy in his right knee.
Lucas Giolito, who injured his left hamstring on the very first pitch he threw in spring training, also began the year on the injured list. He’s been working his way back with two rehab outings each at Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. On Sunday, Giolito pitched five innings for Portland, giving up three runs on six hits and striking out four. Of his 65 pitches, 47 were strikes.
Signed by Boston in the 2023 offseason to a two-year, $38.5 million deal, Giolito missed the entire 2024 season following UCL surgery that included an internal brace repair. Now, he says he’s finally ready to contribute. “I feel ready to go,” Giolito told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Getting through five innings was a big step. I just want to help the team however I can.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team has yet to decide whether Giolito will need another rehab start or if he’ll join the major league squad next. “We’ll meet and figure it out,” Cora told Cotillo. “He felt great, threw strikes, and physically he’s in a good place.”
Giolito was a top performer in 2019 and 2020 with the White Sox, finishing sixth and seventh in AL Cy Young voting those seasons. In 2023, he led the league with 33 starts but also gave up a league-high 41 home runs. That July, he was traded to the Angels and later claimed off waivers by the Guardians after struggling with a 6.89 ERA across six starts.
