When Will Red Sox's Lucas Giolito Make Boston Debut? Latest Rehab Outing Results

Help is coming for the Boston rotation

Feb 18, 2025; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) participates in media day at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox's rotation has been ailing all season, but it should be closer to full strength within a couple of weeks.

Since the start of spring training, the Red Sox have lost Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Richard Fitts to the injured list. Bello and Giolito, however, have been on rehab assignments anxiously awaiting their season debuts.

Giolito pitched Tuesday night for Double-A Portland, his third rehab start of the season. He had initially hoped to be on track to make the Opening Day roster a year after undergoing elbow surgery, but a hamstring strain in his first spring training outing derailed that plan and sent him to the IL.

Giolito threw two innings for Portland, allowing three earned runs in the first before rebounding and striking out four batters (not a typo) in the second. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already said that the righty will need one more outing before returning sometime near the end of April.

“If it were up to me, I’d just throw this one more rehab start and then rejoin the team,” Giolito previously said on the “310 To Left” podcast. “But it’s not up to me. I don’t know what they’re going to have me do after (Tuesday)... So I’m just gonna keep putting in the work and I just can’t wait to be a part of what this club is trying to do, rather than just somebody on the sidelines.”

The Red Sox gave Giolito a two-year, $38.5 million contract before the 2024 season, and he's yet to make an appearance for the club during the regular season. It's become obvious that it's eating at Giolito not to be available for the team that invested in him.

“As far as my rehab process, it’s been like hell,” Giolito said. “Emotional, it’s been a whole crazy thing, especially dealing with the other side of it, where it’s like I signed here to do a certain type of job as a starting pitcher, which is something I’ve been good at for a long time, which is eat innings, and I’ve not thrown a single inning on this contract.”

The Red Sox could certainly use Giolito's help, as the team ranks 23rd in starting pitching ERA at 4.50. The 2021 American League All-Star will hope for a better outing in his final rehab start before his long-awaited Boston debut.

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