The Boston Red Sox have received solid results from their starting rotation so far in 2025, all things considered. With three of the team's top six projected starters on the Injured List, the rotation has stayed afloat and kept the team in games. Among those injured pitchers is former All-Star Lucas Giolito.
Giolito was one of the headliners of an underwhelming 2024 off-season for the Sox, when he signed a 2-year, $38.5 million deal in free agency. But before he could even throw a pitch in a competitive game for Boston, it was announced that Giolito would require elbow surgery and miss the entire 2024 season. Then, Giolito suffered a hamstring injury in his 2025 Spring Training debut and began the season on the IL once again.
Finally, almost 16 months after signing with the team, Giolito is set to make his Red Sox debut. According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, Giolito will start Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lucas Giolito Set to Make His Long-Awaited Red Sox Debut
It's hard to know exactly what the Red Sox are getting in Lucas Giolito. He has not thrown a pitch in a Major League game since 2023. During that season, he struggled to a 4.88 ERA while bouncing between Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. Those results were nearly identical to the 4.90 ERA he put up in 2022. But before that, Giolito enjoyed a three-year run as one of the American League's best pitchers, posting a 3.47 ERA across 427.2 innings from 2019-2021.
It remains to be seen which version of Giolito the 2025 Red Sox will get. If he is somewhere between his 2021 and 2022 seasons, then Giolito will be a reliable fifth starter. If he fully returns to form, then the wait will have been more than worth it for Sox fans. But there are reasons to doubt that, considering his nearly two-year layoff. For what it's worth, Giolito struggled with his command in his latest rehab outing, walking 6 batters in 4.2 innings for the WooSox.
There are some reasons for optimism with regard to Giolito, however. First, it's possible that his arm is healthier now than it was back in 2023, when he had an ERA near 5. Second, his most recent injury was not an arm problem, but a hamstring injury. But there is always some mystery when a pitcher returns from such a long layoff.
As things stand, the Red Sox have the luxury of not needing Giolito to be great right away. The starting rotation has been a bright spot, with the exception of one historically bad Tanner Houck start. Offseason additions Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler have both performed well. Sean Newcomb filled in admirably as the fifth starter in April. And Brayan Bello has turned in two good starts since his own recent return from the IL. Other depth options, like Hunter Dobbins and Cooper Criswell, have proven themselves capable as spot starters as well. But the ideal situation for Boston fans is one in which Giolito performs well and shores up the back of the rotation.
Giolito is already on the 40-man roster, so no move is required on that end. As for adding him to the active roster, the most likely candidate for demotion is reliever Luis Guerrero, who was just recalled from Worcester last week. Fill-in starter Sean Newcomb is also a candidate, but he seems more likely to transition into a long relief role now that Giolito is healthy.
Regardless of which version of Lucas Giolito shows up, Red Sox fans should be excited to see what their rotation looks like at the closest to full strength it has been this season.