Former Washington Nationals Star Pitching Prospect to Miss Opening Day

There once was a time that Lucas Giolito was supposed to be a star for the Washington Nationals.

Now, nearly 10 years after he made his Nationals debut, he’ll start the season on the 15-day injured list for the Boston Red Sox.

Boston manager Alex Cora announced on Thursday that Giolito would not be available for the start of the season due to a hamstring strain.

At one time, Giolito was one of amateur baseball’s most intriguing prospects. At Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, Calif., he played alongside current New York Yankees starter Max Fried and current Detroit Tigers starter Jack Flaherty.

He was taken No. 16 overall by the Nationals, even as he missed part of his prep career with a sprain in his UCL. He signed a $2.952 million bonus with the Nationals and underwent Tommy John surgery almost immediately.

When he returned, he looked every bit a first-round draft pick. His 2014 season put him on the map, as he went 10-2 with a 2.20 ERA with 110 strikeouts and 28 walks with the Hagerstown Suns in the Class A South Atlantic League. He was the SAL’s most valuable pitcher, the Nationals’ top minor league prospect and was named to the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend.

Washington called him up in June of 2016 and had a cup of coffee with the team. He went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 21.1 innings, striking out 11 and walking 12. He appeared in six games and started four.

He ended up becoming a trade chip for the Nationals. That offseason, he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox, along with Reynaldo López and Dane Dunning for established outfielder Adam Eaton. He helped the Nats win the 2019 World Series.

Meanwhile, Giolito flourished in Chicago. For the next six seasons, he won at least 10 games four times, went to the 2019 All-Star Game and finished in sixth place in American League Cy Young voting that campaign. He went 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA, as he struck out 228 and walked 57. He also threw three complete games and two shutouts.

Since 2023, he’s bounced around. He started that season with the White Sox but was traded to the Los Angeles Angels that July and then waived that August. The Cleveland Guardians picked him up. Combined, he went 8-15 with a 4.88 ERA, including 204 strikeouts and 73 walks in 184.1 innings. He gave up an AL-leading 41 home runs.

He signed with Boston this offseason with a career record of 61-62 with a 4.43 ERA.