The Boston Red Sox have already traveled down to New York to prepare for their road Wild Card series against the Yankees, but their charter flight was a man short as Lucas Giolito has been ruled out for the series with an elbow injury.
Giolito traveled to visit a doctor in Alabama on Monday, Sept. 29, the same doctor who performed surgery on his elbow at the beginning of the 2024 season. He missed the entire 2024 season as he recovered from that surgery, and has been outstanding for Boston this year as it’s No. 3 starter.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora discussed Giolito’s injury during a press conference Monday.
âI believe he was fighting it,â Cora said. âHe was going to throw a bullpen during the week. We had to cut it short. Was he in play for the last game? Probably. He was pushing that way. But after Saturday and Sunday, he didnât look too good. Thatâs the reason we sent him to see the doctor. Hopefully, itâs nothing major.â
Giolito had a resurgent season in 2025 as he pitched his first full MLB campaign since 2023. He had shown signs of fatigue in the final month of the season however, and now it seems that the same elbow that held him out in 2024 is causing him pain once again.
He finished the regular season with 26 starts to the tune of a 10-4 record with an ERA of 3.41. Giolito was a huge part of the Red Sox thumping summer success that got them into the playoff race.
Where Does Boston Turn For Game Three?
In a three game series where Giolito would have more than likely been the scheduled starter for game three, the Red Sox will instead be without his service. Of course the easy path is for Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello to dominate in games one and two and wrap the series up quickly, but in a heated rivalry between Boston and New York, this has all the makings of a series set for game three drama.
Currently, the Red Sox best two options for a start in game three are young gun left-handers Connelly Early and Kyle Harrison. Early has been a revelation for Boston in the final month of the season, making four starts with an ERA of 2.33 while boasting an astonishing 29-to-4 K/BB rate.
Harrison, who was acquired from San Francisco in the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade back in June, has come up in big moments for the Red Sox in the last few weeks as well, delivering two starts and an appearance out of the bullpen with 13 strikeouts and five walks in 12 innings.
Key Roster Decisions For Red Sox
Cora and the Red Sox still haven’t announced an official roster for the Wild Card series as of Monday, Sept. 29. MLB Postseason rosters can have 26 total players and no more than 13 pitchers.
Without Giolito, here’s what the roster will likely look like come game one:
Catchers (2):Â Carlos Narvaez, Connor Wong
Infielders (6): Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Romy Gonzalez, Nathaniel Lowe, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton
Outfielders (4):Â Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, Wilyer Abreu
DH (1):Â Masataka Yoshida
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