Opening Day of the 2025 MLB regular season is two weeks away, and it's safe to say that spring training hasn't gone as Lucas Giolito planned.
Boston Red Sox fans were excited to see the veteran right-handed pitcher back on the mound after missing the entire 2024 season with a UCL injury. Giolito was supposed to have a fresh start when he made his 2025 spring debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. However, the appearance was a disaster as the 30-year-old hurler exited with a hamstring injury after one inning.
On Thursday morning, MassLive's Sean McAdam reported that Giolito was diagnosed with a low-grade strain in his left hamstring. It wasn't much longer after that when Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that the former All-Star would begin the year on the 15-day injured list.
Lucas Giolito was diagnosed with low-grade strain in left hamstring. Isn’t being shut down from throwing, awaiting further word from training staff on next step.
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) March 13, 2025
Lucas Giolito Disagrees With 15-Day IL Placement
Players and a team's medical staff don't always see eye to eye, which appears to be the case here. Although the Red Sox believe his IL placement was necessary, Giolito made it clear to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey that he doesn't necessarily agree with the club's decision.
"(Giolito) feels fine but knows he’s not in charge as far as Cora saying he’ll start on the IL for the hamstring, McCaffrey wrote before Thursday's 3-2 win over the New York Mets. He’s hoping it’ll be the minimum stay but said he’s taking it day to day."
Giolito just threw and said he feels fine but knows he’s not in charge as far as Cora saying he’ll start on the IL for the hamstring. He’s hoping it’ll be the minimum stay but said he’s taking it day to day
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 13, 2025
Someone who rarely hides their feelings, Giolito's reaction to his hamstring situation isn't surprising. After being pulled against the Phillies, the former 2012 first-rounder told reporters that he felt like the ailment is "very minor" and that he "wouldn't even categorize this as an injury."
Nevertheless, it's often in an athlete's nature to do whatever they can to get on the field or court, which includes lying about the severity of one's situation. That isn't to say that Giolito is wrong about how he's feeling. But the Red Sox are trying to prevent the veteran righty from being his own worst enemy — especially after missing an entire year due to injury.
It will be interesting to see which version of Giolito will take to the mound when he's eventually healthy. Although he's previously posted four double-digit-win seasons, his 2023 performance left much to be desired as he went 8-15 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.313 WHIP while allowing 2.0 home runs and 3.6 walks per nine innings in 33 starts between the Chicago White Sox, L.A. Angels, and Cleveland Guardians.
A healthy Giolito, who's healthy and on top of his game, is more than capable of helping the Red Sox find success this season. For now, Cora's club heads into the remainder of Spring Training tied for the seventh-best 2025 World Series odds (+1800) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
More Boston Red Sox News & Rumors:
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.