Boston Red Sox starting pitchers have struggled for most of the season, putting up the 17th-ranked ERA in MLB at 4.06. The starters looked as if they were hitting their stride heading into the All-Star break, staying in games with leads long enough to claim pitcher wins in 11 of the Red Sox last 13 wins before the break.
But coming out of the break, Boston starters were showing signs of reverting to their previous woes, when they allowed the fourth-most first-inning runs in MLB â 68 in 99 games. On Friday, Lucas Giolito allowed three runs before he recorded an out in the first as the Red Sox ended their 10-game wining streak with a defeat to the Chicago Cubs.
The next day, starter Brayan Bello gave up home runs to the first two Cubs batters he faced.
Red Sox Were Counting on Former First-Round Pick
In the 2024 season, the Red Sox saw the emergence of their 2017 first-round draft pick Tanner Houck as a the top-line starter they always expected him to be â at least through the first half of the season. The righty was picked to play in his first All-Star game after recording a 2.53 pre-break ERA with 112 strikeouts in 117 innings against just 26 walks.
Houck faded somewhat after the break, and struggled through nine starts to begin this season with a bloated 8.04 ERA before a “right pronator strain,” a type of forearm injury, put him on the 15-day injured list May 14.
The Red Sox had been hoping that the return of a healthy Houck would give the rotation a boost or at the very least an additional option for manager Alex Cora as he attempts to keep his current five starters available for the remainder of they season as the Red Sox try to make a playoff push.
Boston already lost promising rookie Hunter Dobbins for the season with a knee injury, and 29-year-old Kutter Crawford, who led the American League with 33 starts last season, has not pitched once this year â and will not pitch in 2025 after undergoing wrist surgery.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, an announcement they issued on Saturday puts Houck’s season in doubt as well.
Recurring Injury Keeps Houck Sidelined
After completing five starts on a minor league rehabilitation assignment, Houck’s allotted 30 days on rehab expired. But according to the Red Sox, the 29-year-old out of the University of Missouri has suffered a “recurrence” of the pronator injury and was placed right back on the injured list.
Houck must now wait another seven days before he is eligible to start a new rehab stint.
According to Cora, Houck did not accompany the Red Sox to Chicago where they are playing a three-game set against the Cubs.
âWeâre going to keep him on the IL,â Cora said Saturday at Wrigley Field, as quoted by reporter Christopher Smith of MassLive. âSo thatâs what weâve got right now. I know the trainers are working on him over there in Boston and weâll have more information in the upcoming days.â
Houck made four rehab starts with the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts, and one at the Double-A level for the Portland Sea Dogs in Maine. They did not go well. Houck gave up 10 runs in 15 2/3 innings in those outings, striking out 15 and walking six while allowing 18 hits.
Garrett Crochet, Bello, Giolito, Richard Fitts, and Walker Buehler remain as the only five available starters for Boston.
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