White Sox Elect to Shut Down Lucas Giolito
By Matt Manetti
Lucas Giolito will not start Friday against the Cleveland Indians. The White Sox elected to cap him at 174 innings between the minors and majors. He finishes 2017 with a 2.38 ERA at the majors.
Lucas Giolito will not make his final start of 2017. The Chicago White Sox elected to scratch him from his start Friday and shut him down the remainder of the season. That’s because they have decided to cap him at 174 innings between the majors and minors. The 23-year-old was coming off an impressive performance against Kansas City on Sunday.
It’s bittersweet for him, as he told Scott Merkin he was looking forward to making the start on Friday. But he understands where the organization is coming from. Giolito came over from the Nationals as part of the Adam Eaton trade last offseason. In seven starts, he was 3-3 with a 2.38 ERA in just over 45 innings for the White Sox.
"“I wanted to take the ball against the Indians. I want to pitch against the best. But at the same time, I completely understand the process of everything. I’m pleased with where I’m at.”-Lucas Giolito"
The White Sox have yet to announce a starter for Friday and may just have someone make a spot start. However, it seems they be short pitching with Chris Volstad making the start Tuesday in place of Carson Fulmer. Mike Pelfrey pitched 1 2/3 innings Tuesday, but maybe he will be a candidate to start Friday.
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Giolito was quite the surprise for the White Sox. He debuted for the Nationals last season and had some trouble. In six appearances he had a 6.75 ERA. But he looked like a different pitcher for the Sox this year. He definitely showed fans that they have something to be excited about next season.
There’s no reason he shouldn’t be in the starting rotation next season but the organization may want to monitor his workload. Last season he threw 136 2/3 innings and this season 174. He may not yet be ready to throw 200 innings. And he’s too important of an asset to risk it.
The White Sox will definitely tread lightly and probably monitor his workload next season. From their perspective it just makes sense. While the team has shown a lot of improvement, they will likely not be a serious contender next season. So there’s no sense in trying to push someone like Giolito.
Next: Carson Fulmer's Start Pushed Back to Saturday
Next season will be the real test. He looked great in a small sample size this season, but going through the grind of an entire MLB season will be new for him. He’ll probably have some highs and lows but he’s shown to this point that he belongs. Because of that there’s no reason why he can’t have a productive 2018. There will be some other factors but he is positioned to do well for the Sox.