BOSTON — It’s a narrative we’ve seen unfold many times, yet it never fails to inspire: a skilled pitcher making his return to the major leagues after a lengthy recovery from elbow surgery. On Wednesday in Toronto, Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito was the latest to experience this journey, with the broadcast noting it had been 577 days since his last major league game. Any pitcher who returns after such an extended absence deserves high praise. For Giolito, the unfortunate timing of his surgery and the unique circumstances of his rehab — occurring with a high-profile team he hadn’t yet pitched for — made his comeback even more significant.
Having proven himself as a reliable starter in the American League, Giolito faced difficulties towards the end of his contract year in 2023, just as he was entering free agency. Despite this, Boston saw his potential for a rebound and signed him to a two-year, $37 million deal at the start of 2024. Giolito arrived in Fort Myers, Florida, determined to reassert himself as a top-tier starter and eager to impress the Boston fans, who were longing for some consistency in their pitching lineup. Then, disaster struck.
Elbow pain during a Grapefruit League game turned out to be more than a minor setback. Giolito underwent internal brace repair surgery on March 13, sidelining him for the entire 2024 season. Before he could even make his regular-season debut for Boston, he was out for the year. This wasn’t Giolito’s first major surgery; he had Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted by the Washington Nationals in 2012. Back then, as a teenager just starting his career, he was unaware of the impact of being sidelined from top-level competition.
This time, with over a decade of professional experience and more than 1,000 major league innings, not being able to contribute was a much tougher challenge for Giolito. This was amplified by his efforts to integrate into a team he had just joined. Giolito attempted to stay connected with his new teammates as the season unfolded, but often felt disconnected. “Last year, Netflix was here, all this stuff’s going on, and I’d be around, and it’s like, ‘I’m on the team’ … but I’m not. I haven’t done anything,” he told Yahoo Sports.
“I enjoy watching the game, analyzing pitching, and all that. But being away from it and unable to compete left me feeling incomplete. There were times it felt isolating, or like, ‘How can I be helpful?’ The answer was often, ‘Not really anything.’”
As if waiting a whole year wasn’t enough, Giolito’s Red Sox debut was pushed back further due to a left hamstring strain during spring training, landing him on the injured list at the start of the season. In five minor-league rehab starts in April, he posted a 5.19 ERA, with 18 hits and 13 walks allowed over 17 ⅓ innings, which didn’t suggest an easy return to the majors. However, Giolito wasn’t worried about the stats, confident his efforts would yield results. “I’ve made plenty of big league starts — that’s where I’m comfortable. The rehab games were not,” he explained.
“Pitching in Double-A and Triple-A, driving around, lacking a solid routine — I treated those games as rehab, working on mechanics and things that felt awkward, trying to solidify what we’ve been working on. So the results were poor, but I trusted that once I was back in my element — competing in the big leagues, feeling the stadium atmosphere — I would feel at ease again.”
Indeed, Giolito excelled in much of his outing against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, dispelling doubts that his shaky rehab form would carry over to his major league return. He needed just 66 pitches for five scoreless innings, striking out seven, walking one, and allowing three hits before the Blue Jays caught up in the sixth. “We had a solid game plan,” he said. “It was about commanding the fastball across the plate. When the slider wasn’t working as hoped, we relied on the fastball to create opportunities for the changeup, which I could place effectively … I was satisfied with the first five innings. It felt like coming home.”
