Red Sox’s Lucas Gioltio Explains Importance Of Leading By Example

Lucas Giolito was the biggest free agency acquisition made by the Boston Red Sox last offseason, but the first season of a two-year, $38.5 million contract went to waste after a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury sidelined the right-hander for the entirety of the 2024 season.

Although the 2019 All-Star, who’s made a career in being one of MLB’s most durable starting pitchers, isn’t able to contribute on the diamond, it doesn’t mean Giolito can’t lead by example. Having spent eight seasons pitching at the big league level, Giolito understands the importance of leadership to any clubhouse, especially one as young and talent-filled as Boston’s.

“It’s hugely important,” Giolito said on NESN’s “310 To Left” podcast. “I think that on this end, it’s one of the most important things. You don’t want selfish players and this game, with how hard it is, there’s a tendency to lean that way sometimes. But coming into this clubhouse I’m just like, ‘Let me get out of the way.’ These guys are incredible. The young guys are doing their thing, the veterans are leading.”

When Giolito went down during spring training it stung the Red Sox with the team’s first of several injuries. Yet, with youngsters like Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu — both in American League Rookie of the Year conversation — plus first-time All-Stars Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck, the Red Sox maintained a competitive edge throughout the season. And while watching from afar, Giolito can’t help but look forward to contributing next season.

“Rehab has been going really well,” Giolito said. “It’s a little bit slower than I would like, but that’s by design; they wanna make sure everything’s perfect before we get back out, ready to go for a full season. One thing that all this time has afforded me is the ability to get all sorts of different parts of my body right, not just the elbow. The elbow went, we fixed it. But now we can work on the shoulder, work on the hips. So I’m really excited to get back out there next year and hopefully pitch some really good innings for this team.”

Watch the full episode of “310 To Left” here: