Boston Red Sox Dealt Massive Injury Blow Ahead of Opening Day, Key Starter Could Miss Entire Season

Lucas Giolito, who signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox this offseason, could miss the entire season after testing indicated he has a partial UCL tear and a flexor strain.

Update, 10:40 a.m. ET: The news on Giolito is trending towards "worst-case scenario" stuff, as Jeff Passan of ESPN indicates Giolito is dealing with potentially season-ending injuries.

Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage.

Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 5, 2024

The Boston Red Sox were dealt a massive injury blow on Tuesday, with manager Alex Cora saying that right-hander Lucas Giolito is likely to start the year on the injured list with a 'concerning' elbow injury.

Per Jen McCaffrey of 'The Athletic:'

Cora said Lucas Giolito felt elbow discomfort after his last outing. They’re concerned. He’s getting check ups to see next steps. He’s likely not to be ready for Opening Day.

Cora said Lucas Giolito felt elbow discomfort after his last outing. They’re concerned. He’s getting check ups to see next steps. He’s likely not to be ready for Opening Day.

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 5, 2024

There's a lot of layers to this, so let's break it down step-by-step:

1) The Red Sox did very little to address their gaping pitching needs in the offseason. The team signed Giolito and traded away Chris Sale, so they were putting a lot of faith in Giolito to be the anchor of the rotation. If he's out for any extended period of time, a rotation built on a house of cards is even more wobbly.

2) Giolito signed a two-year deal with a player opt-out after the season. If he's unable to pitch for an extended time this season, that could impact what he does next offseason with regarding to opting in or opting out.

3) The Red Sox have been connected to free agent Jordan Montgomery all offseason. Perhaps this injury situation will cause them to dive in and finally make the move they've needed to make all offseason.

Giolito was an All-Star back in the 2019 season. Lifetime, he's 61-62 with a 4.43 ERA. He has played with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians.

The Red Sox open up the season on March 28 at the Seattle Mariners. If the team does not sign Montgomery, the Opening Day rotation likely will consist of Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock, although Josh Wincowski may factor in.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Check out more Boston Red Sox coverage at Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Inside the Red Sox.