At the same time the Red Sox were facing the Braves in Grapefruit League action 70 miles away, a key member of their projected rotation was taking a meaningful personal step at an empty JetBlue Park.
Lucas Giolito, who missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing internal brace surgery on his pitching elbow in mid-March, faced hitters for the first time this spring in a live batting practice session on the stadium field. Giolito threw 15 pitches to Romy Gonzalez and other teammates in front of pitching coach Andrew Bailey and others, marking the first time since March 1 — his second and final spring outing last year — that he saw someone step into the box against him.
For Giolito, the session was a meaningful one as he ramps his mission to pitch a full, healthy 2025.
“Being able to get through that step, for me, it feels like the end of the rehab arc,“ Giolito said. ”It’s like getting back to normal, competing and getting prepared for the season.
“Anytime you get the chance to face a hitter in the box, there’s a lot of things that kind of change internally, externally."
Giolito entered last season looking to re-establish himself after stumbling to a 4.88 ERA over 33 starts with the White Sox, Angels and Guardians in 2023. After signing a prove-it one-year deal with the Red Sox that included a player option for 2025, he came to spring as Boston’s top offseason addition from a quiet winter, only to watch his season end before it began. Giolito avoided the more invasive Tommy John surgery and instead had the internal brace, which requires a shorter recovery time.
Giolito is behind healthy rotation mates Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be ready for Opening Day. He expects to throw a two-inning live BP in about five days, then get into a Grapefruit League game after that. As an eight-year major league veteran, the 30-year-old knows what he usually requires in order to ramp up for the season and expects to be ready to go when the Red Sox get to Texas in late March.
“I feel like I’m on a very good trajectory for that, for sure,” Giolito said.
“I’ve been doing this for quite some time, so I’m not the kind of guy that needs like a million spring training starts to be ready for a season. For me, it’s all about just progressing at the correct pace. I trust all the guys in that room over there on the medical side. They’ve been leading me in the right direction."
Giolito is one of only four of Boston’s top six starters who, as of now, doesn’t come with question marks when it comes to Opening Day. Kutter Crawford (patellar tendinitis) and Brayan Bello (shoulder soreness) have not gotten to the point where they’ve faced hitters yet, meaning they could have the starts of their seasons delayed.
Buehler, who is a few days behind Crochet and Houck in large part because he pitched deep into October as a member of the champion Dodgers a year ago, is likely to make his spring debut Sunday at home against the Mets. He faced a quick scare Tuesday while throwing a two-inning live BP, getting hit by a Gonzalez comebacker that
Giolito avoided a comebacker off Gonzalez’s bat, too.
"I saw the one to Walker, and I was like, ‘Oh boy, that’s where the hitters are at today. Luckily I got my leg out of the way and it wasn’t hit too hard."
That Giolito was able to walk away from his session feeling healthy was more than a moral victory after a year of rehabbing.
“I’d say it’s a bit of an accomplishment,“ he said. ”At the same time, it’s not pitching in any game. It’s not pitching in, even, spring training. It’s not pitching in a big league game.
"I feel like going out there today and being closer to game speed, some of my pitches, I felt like it was pretty much game speed. Everything felt good. Staying within myself, I just can continue to get more reps in that aspect."
