Lucas Giolito Injury Update: Red Sox ace likely to miss 2024 season with partial UCL tear

Lucas Giolito could miss the entire 2024 season. The starting pitcher likely has a torn UCL and a flexor strain, which usually costs pitchers a significant amount of time.

MLB reporter Jeff Passan said that surgery is a strong possibility, which would derail Giolito's season.

Passan tweeted:

"Brutal news: Initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain and could miss the 2024 season, league sources tell ESPN. Giolito, who signed a two-year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right-elbow damage."

UCL injuries often lead to Tommy John surgery, which does two things to pitchers like Lucas Giolito. The surgery almost always costs them an entire season of recovery time and often leaves them in a different state than they were pre-surgery.

The Boston Red Sox were in need of starting pitching, so they signed Giolito to a two-year contract. One of those years could be totally lost to injury, thanks to this recent development.

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Lucas Giolito's injury hampers Red Sox

Lucas Giolito might be out for 2024.

The Boston Red Sox traded the oft-injured Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves and brought in Giolito to become a top-of-the-rotation guy and a workhorse. Starting pitching was one of their biggest needs last year after they finished last in the AL East.

Unfortunately, they may be back to square one with Sale gone and Giolito staring down a potential year of recovery. There had been in talks with Jordan Montgomery, and they may be forced to talk to Blake Snell to fill this need, but it's going to cost them.

Neither pitcher will come cheap, and the Red Sox already have a fairly high payroll and would be paying both Giolito and Sale, neither of whom would be active this season.

It's a difficult situation to be in and may lead to another down year for the Red Sox as they continue to try and get competitive in the super-tight AL East.