"There's a lot of talent in that clubhouse" - Red Sox pitching coach talks rotation following report that Lucas Giolito could miss upcoming season
The Boston Red Sox received some frightening news on Tuesday when it was reported that Lucas Giolito could miss the entirety of the 2024 season. The hard-throwing righty is suffering from a partially torn UCL and a flexor strain in his throwing elbow.
There is concern that he will need surgery to address the issue, which would not be ideal, given he just signed a two-year, $38.5 million deal in the winter. If surgery is needed, it would be quite the recovery.
Despite the disheartening news, Boston's pitching coach, Andrew Bailey, is not too concerned with the state of the rotation. He believes that the rotation will step up if Giolito is down for the year.
"Coming in from afar, there is a lot to love. There is a lot of talent in that clubhouse and a lot of talent in that room," stated Bailey.
Bailey feels comfortable with the young arms that stepped up last season. While they would love to have Giolito at the top of their rotation, Bailey loves the rest of the staff, especially Brayan Bello.
"My goal for him is to be talked about from the industry as a top-of-the-rotation arm" said Bailey about Bello.
At the very least, Giolito will be on the IL for a while to start the season. This surely was not how he envisioned starting the year after signing a new deal and trying to make a fresh start.
An injury is the last thing Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito wanted to see this year
Lucas Giolito had big plans for the upcoming season. He was trying to bounce back from a lackluster 2023 season split between the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and Cleveland Guardians.
Giolito compiled an 8-15 record last season with a 4.88 ERA. This was far from the pitcher who became an All-Star during the 2019 season in Chicago.
Giolito made this offseason a mission to come into the new season with something to prove. He knew he had not done himself any favors the last few years. He wanted to show everyone he was still a top pitcher after signing his deal with the Red Sox.
Unfortunately, he may have to wait a year to prove to everyone that he can work as an ace. UCL injuries can be hard to recover from, and there is no guarantee he will return with the same power as before his injury.