Bosox Will Activate Lucas Giolito, Deploy Original Pitching Rotation

Injury-prone starter Lucas Giolito is finally healthy and ready to throw his first official pitch for the Boston Red Sox – some 17 months after they signed him.

The 6-6, 245-pound right-hander got a two-year, $38.5 million pact that ended his free agency in January 2024 but underwent an internal brace procedure on his ailing elbow before spring training ended. His hopes of returning this spring were delayed by a hamstring issue.

Giolito, 30, is now listed as the probable starter for Boston on April 30, when the team faces the Blue Jays in Toronto, according to Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

The pitcher’s return completes a powerful rotation that also features Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Tanner Houck, and Brayan Bello in addition to Giolito. Bello, who had been idled by shoulder issues, will make his season debut Tuesday, one day before Giolito.

The odd man out is likely to be left-hander Sean Newcomb, wose in ability to throw strikes consistently has been a career-long concern. He might be returned to the minor leagues.

As for Giolito, set to be activated ahead of his Wednesday start at Rogers Centre, he can become a free agent again this fall unless the Red Sox extend his contract.

Complex Contract

That contract is complicated, containing a $14 million club option for 2026 that becomes a $19 million mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout if he pitches at least 140 innings this season. As a workhorse who topped 170 innings in a season four times previously, Giolito will have five months to reach or exceed that level.

Giolito has a lifetime record of 61-62 accompanied by a 4.44 career earned run average and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

He won a career-high 19 games while pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

A hefty 30-year-old right-hander who wears a beard, Giolito has also played for the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, and Los Angeles Angels. He has never reached the World Series – a resume void he seeks to fill.

Boston has not won the AL East title since 2018, when it also won the World Series.

Moving Up

Entering play Saturday, the Red Sox stood a surprising second in the American League East with a 14-13 record, one-and-a-half games behind their traditional rivals, the New York Yankees.

After signing Buehler and fellow free agent Alex Bregman, Boston ranked ninth in the Roger Resource listing of projected 2025 payrolls that include likely luxury tax penalties. That mark was $249 million, second only to the Yankees in the highly-competitive American League East.