Red Sox Starter On 'Very Good Trajectory' For Boston Debut After 17-Month Layoff

This righty could have a huge impact on the season

Feb 18, 2025; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) participates in media day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The long-awaited Boston Red Sox debut of a pre-2024 free-agent signing is finally approaching.

When Boston signed veteran right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito in December of 2023, they did so with the goal of adding a workhorse to the top of the rotation for the impending season. Instead, Giolito suffered an elbow injury that led to season-ending internal brace surgery.

Because he wasn't able to prove his value, Giolito opted into year two of his Red Sox contract, and he's thirsty to prove he can still compete at the highest level after a 17-month layoff. And things appear to be trending in a positive direction for him to make his debut right away.

On Tuesday, Giolito hit a major milestone in his recovery, throwing a 15-pitch live batting practice session against Red Sox hitters. It was the first time he threw to hitters since Mar. 1, 2024, when he suffered the injury that wiped out his first season in Boston.

After the outing, Giolito discussed the probability that he would be ready for game action by Mar. 27, when the Red Sox open their season on the road against the Texas Rangers.

“I feel like I’m on a very good trajectory for that, for sure,” Giolito said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

“I’ve been doing this for quite some time, so I’m not the kind of guy that needs like a million spring training starts to be ready for a season. For me, it’s all about just progressing at the correct pace. I trust all the guys in that room over there on the medical side. They’ve been leading me in the right direction."

The last time we saw Giolito on the mound, he was having a rough finish to the 2023 season in which he bounced around three different clubs. He started the year well with his longtime team, the Chicago White Sox, but got hammered to the tune of a near-seven ERA across his final 12 starts with the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians.

Fortunately, the Red Sox don't need Giolito to be anything close to an ace, which they were counting on before his injury last March. If he can approach the 160-inning mark, which he hit in every full-length season of his career since 2018, he can be a fantastic asset at the back of the rotation.

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