When Lucas Giolito walked off the mound on June 4 after surrendering seven runs in less than two innings to the Angels, his former team, he wasn’t just grappling with another rough outing. He was wrestling with something far more unsettling: Uncertainty. For a pitcher who once carried ace status in Chicago, the question looming wasn’t just about mechanics or pitch command; it was about identity.

After elbow surgery, a delayed return, and a rocky start to his Red Sox tenure, Giolito found himself face-to-face with doubt. The game that once felt natural suddenly felt foreign. Was this just a slump or the beginning of the end? At 29 years old, dealing with a tricky contract with his reputation on the line made everything feel so much heavier.

“You’d be lying to yourself if you don’t allow certain thoughts like that to creep in,” Lucas  Giolito said. “It’s a very tough game. When you’re struggling, it can get negative. You start thinking, ‘Am I going to get kicked out of the rotation? DFA’d? Where’s my place in baseball?”

It’s the kind of raw confession most players bury. But Giolito has lived through enough chaos to be honest about where he’s been. In 2023, he saw a sudden dip in his career when he was traded multiple times. The result? A 6.89 ERA in Anaheim. A 7.04 ERA in Cleveland. Confidence shattered. Rhythm gone.

That trauma didn’t vanish when he signed with Boston. Even with a $38.5 million safety net, Giolito’s early outings showed a pitcher still haunted by instability. But here’s where the story shifts. He didn’t allow doubt to control him; instead, he worked hard to improve himself alongside the Red Sox pitching staff by adjusting his delivery technique and refining his pitching while also resetting his mindset.

The turnaround has been striking. Across his last four June starts, Giolito allowed just two earned runs in 25 innings, a stunning 0.72 ERA. Not only did he re-emerge as a reliable No. 2 behind Garrett Crochet, but he reclaimed something even more important: Belief.

Now, Lucas Giolito isn’t fixated on opt-outs or trade chatter. He’s focused on staying present, stacking good starts, and giving Boston a real shot every fifth day. “I really love it here, I don’t want to be traded,” he said. “I want to help this team win.”

And judging by his latest stretch, he’s doing exactly that with fear no longer in control. But it was not the same in 2023…

Haunted by 2023: The year that shook everything for Lucas Giolito

For Lucas Giolito, 2023 wasn’t just a career detour; it was emotional whiplash. In five chaotic weeks, he transitioned from the White Sox to the Angels, then to the Guardians. Spending seven years in Chicago cultivating a routine, establishing a rhythm, and shaping his identity, he abruptly found himself navigating clubhouses, getting acquainted with new teammates, and striving to demonstrate his value with each game he played. It was difficult. And it showed.

The numbers tell part of the story, an ugly 6.89 ERA in Anaheim, followed by a 7.04 mark in Cleveland, but the deeper unraveling was personal.

During that period, Giolito was going through a divorce, which added to the uncertainties he experienced while pitching. The transition turned out to be more challenging than he had anticipated. The emotional weight of unfamiliarity, both professionally and personally, pulled him further away from the pitcher he used to be.

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“It was crazy,” he remembered. “I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me getting traded… I was going through a lot during that period.”

Looking back, that stretch wasn’t just a test for Lucas Giolito’s confidence; it almost completely eroded it away entirely. And as 2025 approached, the shadow of that season still lingered. That’s why his recent resurgence in Boston carries more weight. He’s not just pitching better; he’s working through the trauma of a year that nearly broke him.