Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Shifting to bullpen

Houck will be available out of the bullpen as early as Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Houck made his previous start Wednesday and gave up three runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and four walks over 4.1 innings, and he'll move to a relief role since the Red Sox won't require a fifth starter until Oct. 2, which is the penultimate game of the regular season. The 25-year-old has a 3.75 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 70:16 K:BB across 57.2 major-league innings this season, and he figures to play a significant role for Boston down the stretch, even though he's not expected to start.