The breakout season of Lucas Giolito is over three starts early. The Chicago White Sox announced after Monday night’s game with the Minnesota Twins that they were shutting down Giolito for the rest of the season with a mild lat strain.
Giolito was in line to start Tuesday, and he possibly could have had two more starts in the season’s final week, but the team decided it would be better letting him start his offseason with a couple extra weeks of recovery.
The 25-year-old finishes his second full season at 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 176-2/3 innings.
Lucas Giolito’s remarkable 2019 season over as MRI reveals mild lat strain https://t.co/tOSiLS9IRT
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) September 17, 2019
Accepting the decision
Giolito said Monday that if the White Sox were in the playoff hunt, he could have pushed through the injury or perhaps just skipped one start. But because Chicago is stuck in a distant third place in the AL Central, he accepted the team’s decision.
“If we were in the playoff hunt at this point, I’d be arguing as much as I could to go out there and pitch and compete,” Giolito said, according to ESPN.com. “I feel like with how I felt yesterday, I probably would have been able to get through it, but just understanding the situation, it’s probably for the best to shut it down.”
Giolito felt some discomfort during a bullpen session Sunday, and an MRI revealed the strain Monday.
2019 Statistics for Lucas Giolito:
14-9 (29 games started)
176.2 IP
3.41 ERA
228 strikeouts
11.6 K/9
4.00 SO/W
1.064 WHIP
5.9 WAR
3 complete games
2 shutouts
First-time All-StarOne hell of a season for OUR ACE. pic.twitter.com/wqqHxwwfKj
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) September 17, 2019
Future is bright
Even without the final three spots, Giolito figures to be in the top 10 in voting for the AL Cy Young Award. He has turned himself from a prospect that hadn’t figured it out into a borderline ace.
The next step will be to become that ace in 2020.
“Certainly an incredible season for Lucas, even though it’s a couple starts short of a full season,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “Still one that, in my opinion, certainly merits Cy Young consideration, and I suspect he’ll receive some votes here once the votes are ultimately tabulated and something that he can obviously go into the offseason feeling proud about.”
Lucas Giolito
2018: 173.1 IP 6.13 ERA 125 K 90 BB -1.3 bWAR
2019: 176.2 IP 3.41 ERA 228 K 57 BB 5.8 bWAR
Easily the most improved player in MLB this season.
— Josh Nelson (@soxmachine_josh) September 17, 2019
