A serious elbow injury sidelined Tanner Houck from the field for a long time. Now in the final stage of his preparation, the talented pitcher is eager to return to the Boston Red Sox, stating that he is willing to play wherever interim manager Chad Tracy needs him.
“In one year, I started, long relief, mid relief, closed. So I’ve kind of checked all the boxes of pitching in high-leverage situations, men on, no one on, starting games. So any role that I can step in and go out there and help this team win, I’m in for it,” Houck said per Boston Herald‘s Zack Cox.
His return as a versatile arm out of the bullpen represents a key reinforcement for Boston’s pitching staff in the playoff race. Will he get the opportunities he needs on the field to make a deep postseason run?
The injury seems to be behind him
Tanner Houck’s 2025 campaign took a rough turn when a flexor pronator strain in his right elbow completely derailed his season, ultimately requiring Tommy John surgery (along with a flexor tendon repair) in mid-August. The road back has been a long grind, keeping him sidelined for over a year, but his rehab took a major step forward this month when he kicked off a minor-league assignment with Double-A Portland.
Tanner Houck #89 of the Boston Red Sox walks off the field following the second inning.
He’s been ramping up his pitch count and refining his mix—including a tweaked sweeper and a sharper splitter—with the goal of rejoining Boston’s bullpen just in time to give the Red Sox a high-leverage arm for the stretch run and potential postseason push.
What’s left for Boston down the stretch?
To close out the regular season, BoSox‘ final stretch features a three-series run starting tomorrow, September 15th through 17th, when they head to Globe Life Field for a road set against the Texas Rangers.
Right after that, from September 18th to 20th, they stay on the road to battle the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Finally, the Red Sox come back home to Fenway Park from September 22nd to 24th to wrap up their penultimate series against the Cleveland Guardians before finishing the year.
