Red Sox shut down Tanner Houck indefinitely, increasing need for another starter at trade deadline
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck has hit another bump on his road to a return. The righty starter has been shut down indefinitely and will have to go back to "step one" of his recovery, according to Boston manager Alex Cora.
Houck has been on the shelf for over two months with right flexor soreness. He started a rehab assignment on June 18 and made five starts in the Minor Leagues, where he went 1-3 with a 5.74 ERA over 15.2 innings.
Cora said Houck felt the injury again in his last rehab outing with the Worcester Red Sox on July 9. The 29-year-old won't need surgery, but he won't be pitching anytime soon.
"Just rest. Reset him now, get treatment and see where we're headed after that," Cora said before Boston's 3-2 loss in Philadelphia on Monday. "He saw the doctors and all that stuff. We've got to go to step one, I guess."
With his rehab assignment up, the Red Sox had to make a decision on Houck on Monday. The move will likely end a disappointing season for Houck, who was 0-3 with an 8.04 ERA over his nine outings for Boston. Houck was an All-Star in 2024 but was getting hit hard this season, with opponents batting .318 against him and clubbing 57 hits (including 10 homers) over 43.2 innings. In his last start for Boston, Houck was rocked for 11 earned runs over just 2.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers back on May 12.
Red Sox rotation
While the Red Sox haven't been counting on a Houck return -- or at least a Houck return to form in 2025 -- his injury furthers the team's need for another starter at the July 31 trade deadline. With Hunter Dobbins also out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL, Boston will be relying heavily on Richard Fitts at the back end of the rotation the rest of the way.
Garrett Crochet has been excellent as Boston's ace this season, but the rotation behind him has been spotty. Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito, and Walker Buehler have pitched well as of late, but have all had their share of struggles -- especially Buehler, who has a 5.76 ERA on the season. Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has been exploring starting pitching options on the trade market, and will continue to do so over the next week-and-a-half.
The Red Sox are right in the AL Wild Card mix and are currently tied with the Seattle Mariners for one of the final two spots, two games behind the New York Yankees.
