Red Sox's Tanner Houck: To be ready for spring training
Rotowire
Houck underwent a successful lumbar discectomy Tuesday and is expected to be ready for the start of 2023 spring training.
Back surgery is always a tricky procedure for athletes to come back from successfully and quickly, but the hope is that Houck's 2023 season won't be greatly affected. He had saves in back-to-back appearances in early August before landing on the injured list, and it's unclear how much Houck will factor into the saves mix in 2023. He could also eventually get stretched back out as a starter, although he was limited to 60 innings this season.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Moves to 60-day IL
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The Red Sox transferred Houck (back) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman Triston Casas, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday in a corresponding move. Houck is scheduled to undergo surgery next week to address a disc issue in his back and will miss the rest of the season.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Undergoing surgery next week
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Houck will undergo back surgery next week, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Houck was expected to require surgery to correct a disc issue in his back, and manager Alex Cora confirmed Saturday that the right-hander will undergo a procedure in the coming days. However, Houck is expected to be ready for spring training in 2023. It's not yet clear what role he'll play next season after he saw his fair share of save chances in 2022.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Expected to undergo back surgery
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Houck is expected to undergo back surgery, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
Houck was shut down Thursday due to continued back soreness, with reports emerging that he might not return this season. If he does indeed undergo surgery, that should rule him out for the remainder of this season and could lead to questions about his durability and effectiveness heading into 2023. He recorded a 3.15 ERA in 60 innings this season, working mostly out of the bullpen. His eight saves still lead the Red Sox, but Garrett Whitlock (six), John Schreiber (five) and/or Matt Barnes (four) could pass him down the stretch.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Shut down, may not return in 2022
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Houck (back) was shut down from throwing Thursday, and manager Alex Cora isn't sure if the right-hander will return by the end of the season, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Houck was scheduled to throw live batting practice Tuesday, but that session was scratched due to lingering back soreness, and he's now been shut down entirely. It doesn't sound as though the 26-year-old has experienced a setback, but he's clearly not fully recovered from the disc issue that landed him on the injured list nearly a month ago. Even if Houck is able to return this season, he's likely to be out until late September. Garrett Whitlock, John Schreiber and Matt Barnes should continue to split save chances for the Red Sox.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Live BP scrapped
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Houck (back) didn't throw live batting practice as scheduled Tuesday due to continued back soreness, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
The 26-year-old landed on the shelf Aug. 9 with a disc issue in his back and returned to throwing last week, but the ongoing soreness will prevent him from further ramping up his throwing program. Houck is already eligible to return from the 15-day IL, but he may still be a couple weeks away from rejoining the active roster.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Slated to face hitters
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Houck (back) will throw live batting practice at Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Houck has been on the injured list since early August due to a disc issue in his back, but he was cleared to throw off flat ground early last week. The right-hander has made quick progress in his recovery since then, and he'll take another significant step by facing hitters Tuesday. Assuming he feels good afterward, it's possible that the right-hander will be able to begin a rehab assignment soon.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Throws Tuesday
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Houck (back) threw off flat ground Tuesday and felt good following the session, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Houck appears poised to avoid surgery to address the disc injury in his back, something that looked to be a real possibility as recently as last week. He'll start building up in the coming days, and Boston manager Alex Cora hopes the right-hander can pitch by the end of the season.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Dealing with disc issue
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Houck (back) was diagnosed with a disc issue Tuesday and will return to Boston for a week of treatment, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.
Houck will be re-evaluated next Monday before the Red Sox determine his next steps, but at this stage, the right-hander's return from the injured list doesn't look to be imminent. If he responds well to treatment over the next several days, Houck could be back near the end of the month in a best-case scenario, but a return in September seems more likely. The Red Sox should continue to lean on Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber in higher-leverage spots while their preferred closer is sideilned.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: One more specialist to see
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Houck (back) is scheduled to visit a spine specialist Monday, MLB.com reports.
The upcoming meeting with a back specialist will be the last in a series of appointments for Houck, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Aug. 6. Boston manager Alex Cora believes the club will have a better idea of the right-hander's timetable after the final consultation, and the earliest Houck can return is Aug. 21. While Houck is unavailable, Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber have picked up save chances.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Team gathers information
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Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team is still gathering information on Houck's back injury, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Houck was placed on the injured list Tuesday with lower-back inflammation. The pitcher has a couple of appointments with physicians coming up, and the Red Sox will have a better idea about a timeline after Houck has been evaluated.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Lands on injured list
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Houck was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Aug. 6, with lower-back inflammation.
Houck hasn't seen the mound since pitching back-to-back games on the first two days of August, so it's unclear when exactly he suffered the injury. The 26-year-old has been operating as Boston's primary closer, and Garrett Whitlock and John Schreiber are the likely candidates to step in while Houck is sidelined.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Logs another save
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Houck saved Tuesday's 2-1 win against the Astros, tossing 1.2 perfect innings. He failed to record a strikeout.
Houck was brought in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth and escaped the jam on just four pitches, then delivered a 1-2-3 frame in the ninth for his second save in as many days. Manager Alex Cora's use of the 26-year-old for consecutive saves cements his status as Boston's primary closer after Garret Whitlock picked up two saves at the end of July. Houck possesses a 3.15 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 60 innings, with eight saves in 32 appearances.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Clean inning for save
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Houck fired a perfect ninth inning, striking out one to earn the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Astros.
Houck had allowed a run in each of his last two appearances, but he was sharp after going four full days between outings. The save was his first since June 25 -- that's a product partly of his own shaky performance but mostly from the Red Sox's brutal July swoon. The right-hander has a 3.24 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 56:22 K:BB in 58.1 innings with seven saves, a blown save and a hold through 31 appearances (four starts).
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Takes fourth loss
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Houck (5-4) allowed a run on one hit in one inning, taking the loss Wednesday versus the Guardians.
Houck entered with the game tied at 6-6 and gave up a solo home run to Josh Naylor. That ended up being the deciding run. Houck has surrendered a run in three of his last five outings, and he hasn't earned a save since June 25 as the Red Sox have slumped to the bottom of the AL East. The right-hander owns a 3.30 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 55:22 K:BB with six saves in 57.1 innings across 30 appearances (four starts) this year.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Blows save, gets win
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Houck (5-3) recorded the win in Friday's 5-4 extra-innings victory over the Yankees after blowing his first save of the season, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks over two innings. He also hit a batter with a pitch and didn't get a strikeout.
Entrusted with a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning, Houck put the first two batters of the inning aboard before throwing the ball wide of third base on what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, allowing Gleyber Torres to score the tying run. The right-hander avoided any more damage thanks to double plays in the ninth and 10th, however, and he was still the pitcher of record when Boston scored in the top of the 11th. Houck hasn't picked up a save since June 25, but for now he still appears to be manager Alex Cora's first choice to close out games.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Back from restricted list
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Houck was reinstated from the restricted list Thursday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.
Houck will return to the team following their series in Toronto, which he was unavailable for because of his vaccination status. He'll return to manning the backend of the Red Sox bullpen as the team starts a series against the Cubs on Friday.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Goes on restricted list
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The Red Sox placed Houck (personal) on the restricted list Monday.
Houck's placement on the list was fully expected, as he was previously inactive for the Red Sox's series in Toronto in late April due to his vaccination status. Since Houck remains unvaccinated two months later, he won't be eligible to cross the Canadian border and will be unavailable for the entire three-game series in Toronto. John Schreiber and Matt Strahm look like the top options to pick up saves before Houck returns to the fold for the Red Sox's three-game series against the Cubs this weekend.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Set to miss Toronto series
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The Red Sox are expected to place Houck on the restricted list prior to Monday's series opener in Toronto, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.
Because he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, Houck won't be eligible to cross the Canadian border and will miss the Red Sox's second series of the season in Toronto after he was previously unavailable for the four-game set at Rogers Centre in late April. While the team is in Canada, Houck will throw a live batting practice session in Boston to stay sharp before he's eligible to rejoin the Red Sox in Chicago for their series with the Cubs that begins Friday. Houck has emerged as Boston's preferred option at closer over the past three weeks, but John Schreiber and Matt Strahm will likely represent the best bets to pick up save chances during the Toronto series.
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Red Sox's Tanner Houck: Secures sixth save
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Houck earned the save against the Guardians on Saturday with a perfect inning of work.
Houck needed only seven pitches -- six of which were strikes -- to set the side down in order in the ninth inning. For the first time in 10 contests, the right-hander failed to record a strikeout, but that's of little concern given the results. Houck has notched a save in six of his past seven appearances and has gained a stranglehold on Boston's closer role with a 1.69 ERA and 14:1 K:BB over 10.2 innings since the start of June.
