Giolito retired 11 consecutive batters at one point during his long-awaited Boston debut before the Blue Jays finally got to him with two outs in the sixth when Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho connected for back-to-back homers. He threw 61 of 90 pitches for strikes, finishing with a robust 33 percent CSW. He displayed some impressive precision and command of his arsenal, leaning heavily on his fastball/changeup combination. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats. He’ll square off against the Rangers on Tuesday in his next outing.

Giolito will finally make his Red Sox debut after missing all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery an suffering a hamstring issue before the start of the 2025 season. The 30-year-old right-hander has the stuff to be an effective option, but fantasy managers may want to take a wait and see approach before adding him to the roster.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed Giolito will make his season debut next Thursday against the Blue Jays if he makes it through his final rehab start without any issues. The 30-year-old righty will make his long-awaited Boston debut after missing all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery and a hamstring strain that he suffered back in early March during spring training.

Cora added that Giolito will return to Boston’s rotation next week, but they haven’t decided on a specific date. The 30-year-old will make his final rehab start later this week at either Triple-A Worcester or Double-A Portland. He threw 65 pitches (47 strikes) on Sunday for Double-A Portland in his latest rehab outing.