Lucas Giolito sets the record straight
Lucas Giolito has heard the guesses and seen the internet graphics. And with each one of these the Red Sox pitcher shook his head in disbelief. There were even some investigation into how such information even came about.
His prevailing thought: Why were these people saying he wasn't going to ready to pitch in the Sox' starting rotation come Opening Day?
"I’m here. I’m in Fort Myers. Obviously, continuing the rehab progression which is, at this point, coming out of the rehab progression. Throwing off the mound soon. Me and Garrett (Whitlock). We’re on the same program. Yeah, I’m going to be ready for a full spring training and a full season," Giolito proclaimed on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast.
"I find it funny when I see this stuff online saying that I will be coming back in June. I don’t know where that came from. I have no idea. I asked a lot of people. No one really knows. As this point, it’s like, ‘Alright, cool. That’s fine. Whatever people want to think.’ Everything is going great. I look forward to a full year."
The impetus for the guesses regarding Giolito's availability stemmed from his team's new starting pitching acquisitions. With the trade for Garrett Crochet and signing of Walker Buehler, the Red Sox' rotation would seem a bit crowded. Besides the newcomers, there are returners Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, along with rookies Richard Fitts and Quinn Priester.
And, of course, Giolito.
The 30-year-old is coming off a season which didn't see him pitch in a single game with the team he signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract one year ago. Giolito was forced out of action after learning in spring training he would be undergoing internal brace surgery on the UCL in his pitching arm.
After his season-long rehabilitation in Boston, Giolito moved to the Fort Myers area for the entirety of the offseason, training at JetBlue Park with the likes of Whitlock (who also is coming back from internal brace surgery on his UCL).
"We’ve added pieces. We’ve added pieces to the rotation. The young guys are doing great. If I’m in a position where I need to compete for a rotation spot, I’m ready to do so. That’s not something I have had to do for a few years. I have been very lucky," Giolito said. "But considering the talent that we have in the rotation, if I’m competing for the fifth spot or the sixth spot or however they want to do it, alright, great. But I will be ready for that. So all the noise online is pretty funny. It doesn’t make a difference at the end of the day. Once we all get out to spring training, we’re all working toward the same goal."
He added, "The throwing program, the progression, puts me right there for spring training and all of that. Build-up during spring. Usually guys in this day and age, you’re not coming out and throwing eight or nine innings the first turn through the rotation but it’s that five or six and it’s kind of that gradual build-up. We’ll see how it plays out."