The Red Sox’s starting rotation was dealt a severe setback on Monday ahead of their Wild-Card round matchup against the Yankees.

Speaking to reporters at Yankee Stadium on Monday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that veteran righty Lucas Giolito is dealing with an elbow injury and will not be available for this best-of-three series against New York.

Giolito was expected to be the odds-on favorite to start a series-deciding Game 3 on Thursday if necessary, with Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello set to start Games 1 and 2, respectively.

Instead, Giolito is currently in Alabama visiting Dr. Jeffrey Dugas — who performed the internal bracing procedure that sidelined the starter for the entire 2024 season.

“Lucas is not going to be on the roster,” Cora said Monday. “He has been battling with

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