Red Sox pitchers Lucas Giolito and Garrett Whitlock to make their spring debuts
Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito will return to the mound on Tuesday, pitching in a game for the first time since he injured his elbow last March.
The righty has faced hitters in live batting practice three times this spring, the first coming on February 25.
Giolito completed his up-and-down live batting practice, tossing two simulated innings facing Rafael Devers and Rob Refsnyder.
“Of my three lives, this is the best one,” said Giolito, who suggested his stuff was “less electric” than in prior outings. The returning right-handed hurler told reporters he felt that his command, execution, and pitch sequence were all game-like.
He also included a handful of curveballs, including a nasty one to Devers that he recorded a swing-and-miss.
“Right now, the feel for it is there, and it’s a real pitch,” said Giolito. “I see that as very encouraging to really get back into having a true four-pitch mix.”
If he remains healthy, Giolito should be able to get into three or four more exhibition games before the Red Sox begin the 2025 season in Texas at the end of the month.
“I feel like I’m on a very good trajectory for (Opening Day), for sure,” Giolito said last week to reporters, including MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “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 has been down in Fort Myers since the end of December, working on his rehab progression. He was throwing with fellow righty Garrett Whitlock.
The same Whitlock will also make his spring debut; it's coming on Friday when the Sox welcome the Marlins to JetBlue Park.
Whitlock made four starts last year before suffering a similar elbow injury to Giolito. The righty went under the knife in May and is expected to be ready for Opening Day.
Boston is going to use Whitlock out of the bullpen, which is a spot he’s seen the most success in while a member of the Red Sox. Whitlock has a career record of 18-11 over 241 2/3 innings while posting a 3.39 ERA with 252 strikeouts as a reliever.
“Let’s go back to the bullpen, baby,” said Whitlock to reporters at Fenway Fest in January.
What made the Red Sox come to the decision to have Whitlock pitch primarily out of the bullpen?
“I think it was just kind of a little bit of everything. It's one of those things where, obviously, I still have the repertoire and everything to start, and if they need me to do that, I'll do that,” Whitlock said. “But just talking to [manager Alex Cora] and everything, it's comfortable down there, and it’s where I've had success and everything. So it's what we think is going to help give the team the best chance to win. So we're going to do that.”
Whitlock can give the Red Sox versatility out of the bullpen; he can pitch in a multi-innings role or in a high-leverage spot at the back end, setting up whoever will be the closer.
Boston will get a look at Whitlock, who will follow starter Walker Buehler, and Giolito will pitch on Tuesday when the Red Sox play the Phillies at JetBlue Park.
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