Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito is having a forgettable start to his 2022 season. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

White Sox ace Lucas Giolito leaves Opening Day start with abdominal tightness

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Apr 8, 2022 3:31 PM ET

Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito left his Opening Day start Friday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers after just four innings pitched due to abdominal tightness, the team announced.

Lucas Giolito left the game with abdominal tightness on his left side. He is being further evaluated.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 8, 2022

Giolito allowed just one hit and two walks against six strikeouts during his scoreless, abbreviated outing, and he threw 36 of his 61 pitches for strikes. The White Sox led the Tigers 3-0 at the time of Giolito's departure.

The 2019 All-Star signed a one-year, $7.45 million contract with Chicago one week ago to avoid arbitration. Giolito went 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 201 strikeouts across 178 2/3 innings pitched last year.

His injury comes just five days after it was announced that fellow White Sox top-of-the rotation arm Lance Lynn was slated to miss four weeks with a knee injury. On Tuesday, Chicago reportedly agreed to a minor-league deal with former two-time All-Star starter Johnny Cueto.

If Giolito's injury ends up being serious, the White Sox may need Cueto's services sooner rather than later.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

More must-reads: