Milliken on Lucas Giolito injury: ‘This is as dark as it gets’
Jeff Passan tweeted brutal news relating to the Red Sox on Tuesday, as initial imaging showed Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito likely has a partially torn UCL and flexor strain, and could miss the 2024 season. Giolito, who signed a two year deal with Boston, may need surgery to repair the right elbow damage. Needless to say, Tyler Milliken does not see this as a positive development for the Sox. Here is how Milliken broke it down on Zolak and Bertrand:
‘This is as dark as it gets’
“This is as dark as it gets… I think you entered the offseason needing two starters, right? Well, now you’re negative one because you only got Giolito, who replaced Chris Sale. Now he’s gone. Also, the guy you traded for in Vaughn Grissom. He’s not going to be on the Opening Day roster either. Giolito was the one guy who could offer you stability in this rotation and give you innings, even if they weren’t of the highest quality. Now he’s out of the equation. So you’re rolling with the exact arms you had a year ago when you limped to last place and fell apart down the stretch. It’s the same exact arms.
“Keep in mind, he has a $19 million player option for next year. So when he misses the whole year and he comes back in June next year, May, after he rehabs, we’re going to get that entire experience as well.
“And you know who’s laughing the hardest out of anybody. And it probably won’t actually change much on this front. But Scott Boras, this is what he was waiting for. This is why you hold on to Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, because he doesn’t have [qualifying offer]. This is what they were waiting for. Someone to go down. Someone to get hurt. Now are the Red Sox going to pay? Who knows. They might just look at it and say, you know what? There’s our excuse for the year. Let’s just ride this out. Let’s take it all the way. Let’s rerun 2020 in a lot of fashions. Just let the young guys pitch. Hey, we can put Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck in the rotation. You throw in Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello. Let’s just do a youth movement. Let those guys all try to figure themselves out because we knew they weren’t competing already. Now they’re definitely not competing. You lost one of the main pieces. The only way you can even make it somewhat, and it’s not even hopeful at this point, but you can maybe cling to one ounce of hope is Jordan Montgomery.”
LISTEN: Milliken reacts to devastating Lucas Giolito injury news
Milliken: 7 names making noise for the Red Sox this spring
3. Justin Slaten (8.0 OppQual)
Feb 20, 2024; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Justin Slaten (63) poses for a photo during media day at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Heading into spring training, it felt like there was a showdown for the last bullpen spot between Justin Slaten and Bryan Mata. Both need to be on the Opening Day roster due to Slaten being a Rule 5 pick and Mata being completely out of options. But with Mata suffering a hamstring strain, he’s fallen behind and Slaten has run with the opportunity.
In 3 outings, Slaten hasn’t given up a run and has racked up 3 strikeouts without a walk. He did allow two baserunners in his first outing thanks to a hit by pitch and a single, but since then he’s harnessed his control. Alex Cora made it a point that he wanted to see Slaten throw strikes this spring and so far he’s done a great job of that.
Another big thing for Slaten is that he’s a Breslow guy. The Red Sox were gushing over him this winter when he came over from the Mets for Ryan Ammons and cash considerations. Mata doesn’t have that working in his favor, since he’s been in the organization for nearly a decade with more injuries than anyone can remember.
4. Ceddanne Rafaela (8.3 OppQual)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 30: Ceddanne Rafaela #43 of the Boston Red Sox hits an RBI double during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on August 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)
On the first day of spring training, Cora made headlines by saying Ceddanne Rafaela would have a shot at the starting center fielder job. So far, he’s showing that he deserves to be in Seattle on Opening Day. It’s not about just the numbers either, but the decisions he’s making at the plate.
Rafaela is 4-for-11 with a double, which is a nice sign, but what catches my eye is that he has walked (4) more than he’s struckout (3). Just looking at this at-bat from yesterday’s game against the Tigers, it’s clear he’s spitting on pitches that are right outside the strike zone. If he can sustain that approach, it should stop him from getting exposed like he did in September last season.
As usual, Rafaela has also impressed defensively with a couple nice plays in center field. On the basepaths, he’s been extremely aggressive with 2 steals and 1 caught stealing. He’d only have one stolen base if it wasn’t for a nifty slide against the Cardinals, which is something to keep an eye since he was getting thrown out a lot at AAA last year, but this is the type of athleticism the Red Sox have been yearning for.
Chris Murphy (OppQual 8.2)
Jul 30, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Murphy (72) delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Chris Murphy has a chance to be the best lefty in the Red Sox bullpen if he gets back to the arm we saw for a majority of last summer. He’s faced good competition this spring and hasn’t given up any runs in 4 innings of work. That includes 4 strikeouts and no walks, which is what you’re hoping for with the stuff he offers from the left side.
Mark Contreras (OppQual 7.9)
If everything goes right, Mark Contreras will only be depth for the Red Sox, but he’s hit well to start the spring. He smoked a home run against Northeastern and then went deep again against the Orioles. That’s left him with an .855 OPS through 12 at-bats.
Connor Wong/Mark Kolozsvary/Tyler Heineman:
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 02: Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates in front of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a home run during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on May 02, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
I’m going to combine these three since they all factor into the catching situation. Connor Wong finally returns to the defensive side of things today after dealing with elbow soreness and a bruised knuckle. Even with those nagging issues, he’s swung the bat well going 3-for-7 with a double in 3 games.
Mark Kolozsvary and Tyler Heineman have both been red hot against solid competition, which is nice considering they’re here for their defense. Cora didn’t commit to Reese McGuire as the back-up catcher at the start of camp, but it’s clear they still like him. Roberto Perez will factor into this conversation as well, especially since he finally made his spring debut yesterday.
