Lucas Giolito and the Red Sox caught a tough break in the weeks leading up to the start of the 2024 regular season.

Boston on Tuesday revealed Giolito is dealing with an elbow injury that the club is "concerned" about. The veteran right-hander, who signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox over the offseason, felt elbow discomfort in his spring training outing Feb. 26 and isn't expected to be ready for the start of the campaign.

Speaking with the media Tuesday afternoon, Giolito opened up about the setback.

"Yeah, extremely disappointing," Giolito told reporters, per audio shared by WEEI's Rob Bradford. "I've always prided myself on posting, staying healthy. I've done everything in my power to do so. I haven't dealt with a serious injury in a very long time, so it definitely sucks a lot."

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Giolito added: "It's pretty unfortunate. I'm choosing my words carefully. I don't want to be swearing and stuff. Yeah, it's obviously not fun to deal with."

The 29-year-old stressed he and the Red Sox still are in the process of evaluating the injury, so he wasn't prepared to reveal a diagnosis nor a timeline for return Tuesday.

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But if Giolito is set to be sidelined for significant time, there still are replacement options available to the Red Sox on the open market.

Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports Images