Red Sox Leaving Pitcher Off Wild Card Roster In Unexpected Move

When the Boston Red Sox begin the American League Wild Card round, Garrett Crochet will start game one. Brayan Bello will follow him in game two, but game three remains up in the air.

To many, Lucas Giolito seemed like the obvious choice to start a potential game three. According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Giolito won’t be on the roster.

“Lucas [Giolito], he’s not going to be on the roster,” Cora said. “He’s been battling with his elbow the last few days.”

Giolito has struggled over his last few outings. He started on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but only completed 4 2/3 innings before exiting the game. In his last four outings, he’s walked 13 hitters and seen his velocity fall off.

If game three is necessary, the Red Sox will need to find a starter. Connelly Early has been recently, but he’s only made four major league starts. Cora wasn’t ready to commit to any one pitcher on Monday.

“We’ll go the first two games and then we’ll decide. Obviously, we have some kids over there that have started lately, but first things first, Crochet, Bello, and if we have to make a decision for game three, we’ll go from there,” Cora said.

Kyle Harrison is another option, but he also struggled in his latest outing. Cora tends to be aggressive with his pitching in the postseason, though, and could only lean on the lefty for a few innings before turning it over to his bullpen. That decision will depend on how the first two games of the series unfold, of course.