Giolito (hamstring) feeling '100 percent fine,' but set to miss start of season

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox feel better about their starting pitching depth than they¡¯ve felt in years, and it¡¯s going to be put to the test early in the season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed to The Boston Globe before Thursday¡¯s game in Port St. Lucie against the Mets that righty Lucas Giolito has a low grade left hamstring strain that is all but certain to lead to the veteran opening the season on the 15-day injured list.

¡°Obviously he¡¯ll be behind, so I don¡¯t see [Giolito] being on the Opening Day roster, so now the other guys are coming into play,¡± Cora told The Globe. ¡°We¡¯re getting tested right away.¡±

Giolito indicated he was willing to stay on schedule and try to be ready for the start of the season.

¡°Yeah obviously it¡¯s frustrating, [but] it¡¯s not my decision,¡± Giolito told reporters in Fort Myers. ¡°I went out and played catch today. Usually I don¡¯t throw on my Day 1, so I didn¡¯t throw yesterday. We were testing it and whatnot, and then went out and threw today and felt 100 percent fine, completely asymptomatic. I was actually surprised at how good I felt.

¡°I mean as far as like -- if I were in charge, I¡¯d be like ¡®OK let¡¯s keep going and pitching,¡¯ I don¡¯t know what the return to play looks like. I¡¯m just going to keep taking it day by day and do what they tell me to do and that¡¯s it.¡±

Giolito joins Brayan Bello (right shoulder inflammation) and Kutter Crawford (patellar tendon injury in right knee) as starting pitchers who won¡¯t be on the roster for the start of the season.

While Giolito doesn¡¯t want to miss any time, the Red Sox are playing it safe, given his importance to the team.

Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Walker Buehler are the three veteran pitchers from the original projected rotation who should start the season on time.

The Red Sox have been stretching out four other pitchers in camp who have experience starting Major League games: Richard Fitts, Quinn Priester, Cooper Criswell and Sean Newcomb.

¡°I think the difference is that we truly believe we¡¯re in a better spot than last year, but we¡¯re down three. It¡¯s not one,¡± said Cora. ¡°We¡¯ll get tested, especially with the schedule.¡±

The Red Sox open the season with a four games in four days in Texas, beginning on March 27. They also play March 31 in Baltimore before getting an off-day the following day.

After that, Cora¡¯s club plays for 15 straight days beginning on April 2, and has only one other day off through April 27.

Of the three pitchers recovering from injuries, only Crawford is expected to be out for an extended time as he tries to get over the knee injury that has nagged him since his third start of last season.

Bello came to camp with a sore shoulder but has been throwing the last couple of weeks. He threw his first live batting practice on Wednesday and has another two-inning BP session scheduled for Monday.

Giolito, who missed the entire 2024 season following an internal bracing procedure in his right elbow, injured his hamstring on the first pitch of his first Grapefruit League outing on Tuesday but decided to grind through the rest of a 24-pitch inning before coming out. At most, Giolito hopes he will miss just one turn through the rotation.

¡°The program we had in place had me making four outings leading into my first game of the regular season, so I don¡¯t know if that pushes it back one five-day cycle,¡± Giollito said. ¡°I hope for as little as possible. Considering how good I felt today I¡¯d be like ¡®Yo let¡¯s just keep it going, we can manage.¡¯ But I understand the caution so it is what it is.¡±