Lucas Giolito could be headed for elbow surgery.
The newest Red Sox starting pitcher is scheduled visit Andrews Sports Medicine on Monday for a second opinion from Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, 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. He may be able to manage with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and rehab, but even without surgery, he’ll miss a significant portion of the season, and could 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 – though the Angels deciding to pivot to slashing payroll weeks after bringing in reinforcements isn’t exactly his fault – Giolito was a significant upgrade for Boston due to his durability. He averaged 31 starts and 175 innings over the last four 162-game seasons. At 29 years old, the Red Sox say him as someone young enough to find his way again with a fresh start and the help of a revamped pitching development crew.
Instead, Giolito will be sidelined, and the Red Sox are back where they started:
Without enough starting pitching.
