The Boston Red Sox’s starting rotation began to look more complete after Brayan Bello returned from the injured list to make his season debut on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners.
To begin 2025, the club’s pitching staff had its fair share of injuries, as Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Patrick Sandoval all started the season on the injured list.
Now, ace Garrett Crochet will have some additional help at the front end of the rotation, as Christopher Smith of MassLive reports that 2019 All-Star Lucas Giolito is finally ready to make his Red Sox debut.
Giolito missed the 2024 season with an injury after signing a two-year, $38.5 million contract with Boston. The 30-year-old underwent an internal brace repair surgery to his right elbow ulnar collateral ligament in March 2024.
Giolito suffered a left hamstring strain on the first pitch he threw during this year’s spring training, leaving the Red Sox no choice but to put him back on the IL and send him through a rehab assignment.
Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito throws a pitch during a rehab start with Triple-A Worcester on April 25, 2025.
WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
He made his final rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on Friday, allowing three earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts but six walks on 85 pitches. In 4.2 innings, Giolito threw just 47 of his pitches for strikes, a significant reason for his high walk total.
On Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive reported that Giolito’s average fastball velocity during his rehab start with Triple-A Worcester was 92.4 mph, topping out at 94.8 mph.
The Red Sox hope Giolito can return to the caliber of pitcher he was during his seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, when he finished sixth in the American League Cy Young Award in 2019 and seventh in 2020.
