Lucas Giolito could be headed for elbow surgery.
The newest Red Sox starting pitcher is scheduled to visit Andrews Sports Medicine on Monday for a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, Manager Alex Cora told reporters on Wednesday morning. Surgery is a possibility, the skipper said.
Giolito felt something wrong in his right elbow during his last start, Cora said on Tuesday. The initial imaging showed that the right-hander has a partial tear of his UCL and a flexor strain. Even without surgery, he’ll miss a significant portion of the season and might only prolong the inevitable. The more likely outcome of the visit to Andrews is Tommy John surgery, which would sideline him for the entire year and into next season.
The righty signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox in early January. The deal includes a player opt-out after the first season, which he’s unlikely to exercise now.
Despite coming off a rough season that saw him post a 4.88 ERA and get traded twice, Giolito was a significant upgrade for Boston because of his durability. He averaged 31 starts and 175 innings over the last four 162-game seasons. At 29, the Red Sox saw him as someone young enough to find his way again with a fresh start.
Instead, Giolito will be sidelined, and the Red Sox are back where they started: without enough starting pitching.
ROSTER CUTS: The Red Sox made their first roster cuts of spring training, sending seven players out of major league camp ahead of a weekend in the Dominican Republic.
With just over three weeks left before Opening Day, the Red Sox optioned left-handed pitcher Brandon Walter to Triple-A Worcester and reassigned six others to minor league camp: right-handed pitchers Melvin Adón, Franklin German and Alex Hoppe, left-handed pitcher Helcris Olivarez, and catchers Nathan Hickey and Stephen Scott.
Walter, who is on the 40-man roster and made nine major league appearances last year, is the most notable name. He’ll anchor Worcester’s rotation, serving as a depth option once the season begins. The other six players were non-roster invitees.
The Red Sox have 59 players left in camp, including 39 on the 40-man roster and 20 non-roster invitees. Among the non-roster group, first baseman C.J. Cron, lefty relievers Lucas Luetge, Joely Rodríguez and Jorge Benítez and catcher Roberto Pérez are among the most notable names who have a chance to crack the roster on March 28.
BELLO CONTRACT: The Red Sox are likely done with big spending on the free-agent market, but they’re close to making a significant financial commitment to a burgeoning homegrown star.
Multiple industry sources confirmed Alex Speier’s report for the Boston Globe that the Sox are in “advanced talks” with Brayan Bello on a contract extension that would keep the starting pitcher in Boston beyond 2028, the final year of club control. One source believes Bello’s deal is already done, pending a physical, or very close.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.