Tuesday was supposed to be an exciting time for Boston Red Sox fans as it marked right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito's spring training debut. Even though the veteran hurler has been with the Red Sox since last January, he hasn't played since last spring because of an elbow injury that sidelined him for the entire 2024 campaign.
Having last pitched a meaningful game in October 2023, Red Sox fans had every right to be pumped about Giolito's 2025 spring debut. Unfortunately, the former All-Star righty's performance didn't give the fanbase much to cheer about.
Red Sox Get Blown Out by Phillies, Lose Lucas Giolito to Injury
The Red Sox's latest spring training outing was disastrous as they were blown out 18-8 by the Philadelphia Phillies in Fort Myers, FL. Much to Boston fans' dismay, Giolito's day didn't last long as he surrendered two walks and a pair of earned runs on two hits, adding a strikeout to his resume before being pulled after one inning.
According to MassLive's Sean McAdam, Giolito's abrupt exit stemmed from hamstring tightness rather than his poor play. After the game was over, the former 2012 first-rounder spoke about his injury with an NESN reporter, describing it as "an annoying little setback."
"I've pulled my hamstring before in my career a few times, and (this) feels very minor. That's at least what (the Red Sox doctors) are saying based on the initial testing," Giolito said. "I wouldn't even categorize this as an injury, really, at this point. It just felt like it got tight on me."
No matter what Giolito thinks of his injury, his performance was far from what Red Sox fans hoped to see from a player coming off a major injury who is also on the books for $19 million in 2025. Hopefully, his hamstring issue isn't severe, allowing him to pitch a few more innings in before the end of spring.
It'll be interesting to see how Giolito fares once the regular season begins. The San Monica, CA native hasn't seen legitimate action since he made an American League-leading 33 starts across three franchises in 2023, resulting in an 8-15 record as he pitched to a 4.88 ERA and 1.313 WHIP.
With Opening Day just over two weeks away, look for Giolito to test his hamstring as much as possible in the coming days. In the meantime, the Red Sox will look to rebound from the embarrassing loss to the Phillies when they face the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. ET.