Tag: tanner houck

Tanner Houck ends spring on sour note as Red Sox muster just 4 hits in 6-1 loss to Braves

The Red Sox were held to just four hits by the Braves in their penultimate game of the spring on Monday afternoon. Boston fell to Atlanta by a final score of 6-1 at CoolToday Park to drop to 14-13-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Tanner Houck once again struggled in his sixth and final start of the spring for the Sox. The right-hander surrendered six earned runs on five hits and two walks to go along with four strikeouts over just three innings of work.

The Braves first got to Houck in their half of the second. After Michael Harris reached base via a one-out triple, Ozzie Albies drew a walk and stole second. With runners at second and third now, Houck promptly served up a towering three-run blast to give Atlanta an early 3-0 lead.

Houck ran into more trouble in the third by walking leadoff man Ronald Acuna Jr. He then gave up a two-run home run to Matt Olson, who has now taken the righty deep three times this spring. After getting Austin Riley to ground out, Houck yielded a solo shot to another former Oakland Athletic in Sean Murphy.

Having already reached 60 pitches, Houck did not come back out for the fourth. Instead, the 26-year-old hurler finishes his spring with a 9.74 ERA, a 25:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a .325 batting average against over 20 1/3 innings. Despite those struggles, Houck is still lined up to make his first start of the regular season against the Orioles at Fenway Park on Sunday.

In relief of Houck, Kenley Jansen received the first call out of the Boston bullpen from manager Alex Cora. Making his first appearance since leaving Friday’s game against Atlanta with lightheadedness, the veteran closer worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by getting Olson to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Chris Martin took over for Jansen in the fifth and retired three of the four batters he faced. The Red Sox then picked up their first hit of the day in the sixth inning when Yu Chang — who was making his Grapefruit League debut — ripped a two-out double off Braves reliever Joe Jimenez. But Chang was stranded at second as Alex Verdugo grounded out to end the inning.

After Josh Winckowski tossed two more scoreless frames of relief, the Sox finally got on the board in their half of the eighth. There, Niko Goodrum led off with a double, Chang reached on a fielding error, and Rob Refsnyder reached on a two-out infield single. With the bases loaded, Niko Kavadas was hit by a Luis De Avila pitch, which allowed Goodrum to score from third and make it a 6-1 game.

That is where the score would remain, though, as Oddanier Mosqueda struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth inning and the Red Sox went down quietly in the ninth. All told, Monday’s contest took two hours and 25 minutes to complete.

Verdugo’s assist

After getting taken deep by Eddie Rosario in the second inning, Tanner Houck gave up a line-drive hit to Sam Hilliard. Right fielder Alex Verdugo fielded the ball cleanly and made an accurate throw back to the infield in time to get Hilliard — who tried to extend his single into a double — out at second.

Next up: Crawford gets the ball in Grapefruit League finale

The Red Sox will return to Fort Myers to host the Braves in their final game of the spring on Tuesday afternoon. Kutter Crawford will take the mound for Boston while fellow righty Charlie Morton is slated to do the same for Atlanta.

First pitch from JetBlue Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Tanner Houck surrenders 8 runs as Red Sox get shut out by Twins, 11-0

The Red Sox were shut out by the Twins on Wednesday night for their third straight loss. Boston fell to Minnesota by a final score of 11-0 at JetBlue Park to drop to 12-10-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Tanner Houck, making his fifth start of the spring, endured his fair share of struggles. The right-hander got rocked for eight runs (all earned) on 10 hits, zero walks, and three hit batsman to go along with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work.

Surprisingly, Houck looked sharp out of the gate. He quickly retired the first two batters he faced in the first inning, but then gave up a solo home run to Trevor Larnach. Houck allowed the next three Twins hitters he faced to reach base on a single and two HBPs before yielding a bases-clearing, three-run double to Michael A. Taylor to give Minnesota an early 4-0 lead.

Having already thrown 29 pitches to that point, Houck was temporarily removed from the game so that Chase Shugart could record the final out of the first. He then came back out for the second and sat down the side in order before putting up another zero in the third. The fourth inning, though, is where things started to get away.

Again, Houck quickly recorded the first two outs of the frame before giving up a two-out single to Joey Gallo. Jose Miranda then crushed a two-run homer over the faux Green Monster. After Larnach reached on a two-out single of his own, Houck served up another two-run shot to Kyle Farmer to put the Twins up, 8-0.

If there was any consolation for Houck, it would be that he retired three of the last four batters he faced through the middle of the fifth. Still, it was a discouraging outing for the 26-year-old, who finished with 89 pitches and now owns an ERA of 8.31 across 17 1/3 innings this spring. He will make one more Grapefruit League start before taking the ball against the Orioles at Fenway Park on April 2.

In relief of Houck, Chris Martin received the first call out of the Red Sox bullpen from manager Alex Cora and got tagged for two runs on three hits (all doubles) in the sixth. He also struck out three batters. Kaleb Ort then worked his way around a two-out walk in a scoreless seventh inning before giving up a leadoff single to DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and a one-out RBI double to Mikey Perez in the eighth.

Following a 1-2-3 top of the ninth from Ryan Miller, the Red Sox were suddenly down to their final three outs and staring an 11-run deficit in the face. To that point, the Boston bats had been completely held in check by Joe Ryan and the rest of Minnesota’s pitching staff.

Ryan, who made his fourth start of the spring for the Twins, gave up just two hits and walked one over five scoreless frames. Those two hits came in the form of an Enrique Hernandez infield single in the second and a bloop single from Rob Refsnyder in the fifth. Neither Hernandez nor Refsnyder advanced past first base.

In the bottom of the sixth, with Ryan out and reliever Emilio Pagan in for Minnesota, Justin Turner reached on a two-out walk (his second of the night) and promptly went from first to third on an Adam Duvall double. But the threat was extinguished when Raimel Tapia flew out to the third baseman in foul territory.

Fast forward to the eighth, Chase Meidroth led off with a single and found himself at third base with two outs before Cole Sands ended the inning by retiring Narciso Crook. And in the ninth, Caleb Hamilton ripped a one-out double off Sands before Marcus Wilson and Bobby Dalbec each struck out to end it.

With the loss, the race for the 2023 Chairman’s Cup is now tied at two games apiece. The decisive rubber match will take place on Sunday afternoon back at JetBlue Park.

Next up: Winckowski starts in Bradenton

The Red Sox will travel to Bradenton to take on the Pirates on Thursday afternoon. Josh Winckowski will get the start for Boston opposite fellow right-hander Johan Oviedo for Pittsburgh.

First pitch from LECOM Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN360.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Tanner Houck gives up pair of home runs to Matt Olson as Red Sox get shut out by Braves, 8-0

The Red Sox were held to just six hits in the process of getting shut out by the Braves on Friday afternoon. Boston fell to Atlanta by a final score of 8-0 at JetBlue Park to drop to 10-6-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Tanner Houck, making his fourth start of the spring for the Sox, allowed four earned runs on five hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander ran into trouble right away in the top of the first when he served up a towering solo shot to Braves first baseman Matt Olson.

After settling in and holding Atlanta to just that one run through four innings of play, Houck experienced additional struggles in the fifth when he gave up a leadoff double to old friend Kevin Pillar. Ozzie Albies then drove in Pillar with a one-out single before Olson doubled his side’s lead with a mammoth two-run blast to deep right field.

Olson’s second homer of the afternoon put the Braves up, 4-0. Houck retired the next batter he faced in Austin Riley for the second out of the fifth, and that is how his day would come to a close. The 26-year-old finished with 81 pitches and now owns a 5.68 ERA across 12 2/3 innings this spring.

In relief of Houck, minor-leaguer Aaron Perry received the first call out of the Boston bullpen. Perry allowed the first two batters he faced to reach base before ending things in the fifth. Kenley Jansen, who was responsible for the sixth inning, yielded a leadoff single to Braden Shewmake but left him on base by retiring the next three batters he faced.

Ryan Brasier took over for Jansen in the seventh and surrendered one run on three hits. In the eighth, Kaleb Ort only managed to record one out while getting shelled for three runs on five hits — the first two of which were back-to-back home runs. Skylar Arias sat down the only two Braves he faced in the eighth before Ryan Sherriff struck out two in a scoreless top of the ninth.

To that point in the contest, the Red Sox lineup had been completely held in check. Braves starter Jared Shuster got himself out of a bases loaded jam in the first by punching out Bobby Dalbec. Shuster put up three more zeroes before giving up a leadoff single to Greg Allen in the fifth. The New Bedford native was then given the hook in favor of Nick Anderson, who immediately got Niko Goodrum to ground into a 4-6-3 double play and followed that up by retiring Christian Arroyo.

Fast forward to the seventh, Dalbec reached base on a one-out triple off Michael Tonkin but was left there after Reese McGuire flew out and Allen grounded out. A similar situation arose in the eighth, as Nick Sogard reached on a leadoff single off Jackson Stephens before advancing to third on a two-out double from Corey Rosier. Both Sogard and Rosier, however, were stranded in scoring position after Narciso Crook struck out swinging.

Down to their final three outs in the latter half of the ninth, Rob Refsnyder was hit by a pitch, Marcelo Mayer lined out to deep center field, Caleb Hamilton grounded into a force out at second base, and Tyler Dearden flew out to center to put the finishing touches on an 8-0 loss.

Next up: Split-squad action

The Red Sox will have a split squad on Saturday as they host the Orioles at JetBlue Park and travel to St. Petersburg to take on the Rays at Tropicana Field.

At home, Kutter Crawford will get the start for Boston opposite fellow right-hander Grayson Rodriguez for Baltimore. On the road, righty Josh Winckowski will get the ball for Boston while left-hander Shane McClanahan will do the same for Tampa Bay.

First pitch for each contest is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game at JetBlue Park will be broadcasted on NESN+ while the game at Tropicana Field will be broadcasted on Bally Sports Sun.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Adam Duvall hits first homer of spring as Red Sox draw with Yankees, fall to Orioles in split-squad doubleheader

As part of a split-squad doubleheader on Sunday, the Red Sox drew with the Yankees at home and lost to the Orioles on the road. In Fort Myers, Boston tied with New York, 3-3. Up the road in Sarasota, Boston fell to Baltimore by a final score of 6-4.

At JetBlue Park, Tanner Houck made his third start of the spring for the Red Sox. The right-hander surrendered two earned runs on four hits, two walks, and one hit batsman to go along with four strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of work.

Both of those Yankees runs came in the top half of the fourth. There, after getting through the first three innings unscathed, Houck allowed the first two batters he faced (Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Billy McKinney) to reach base on a HBP and walk. He then gave up an RBI single to Andres Chaparro and a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Jake Bauers to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Having thrown 75 pitches already, Houck was given the hook in favor of fellow righty Chase Shugart, who promptly got Rodolfo Duran to ground into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. The Red Sox lineup responded by playing two runs of their own in the latter half of the fourth.

After doing very little against Yankees starter Yoendrys Gomez, Reese McGuire mounted the mini-rally by drawing a one-out walk off new reliever Jimmy Cordero. He then scored all the way from first base when the speedy Greg Allen roped a hard-hit triple to the triangle in center field. Two batters later, Allen was able to knot things up at two runs apiece by scoring on a passed ball.

That stalemate did not last long, however, as Chris Martin took over for Shugart out of the Boston bullpen and immediately served up a leadoff home run to Anthony Volpe in the fifth. Again, though, Boston quickly responded. In similar fashion to Volpe, Adam Duvall led off the bottom of the fifth by crushing a solo shot over the faux Green Monster in left field.

Duvall’s first homer of the spring — and first in a Red Sox uniform — pulled Boston back even with New York at 3-3. That is where the score would remain, as the two sides exchanged zeroes over the next four inning. Zack Kelly stranded a pair of base runners in the sixth before Bryan Mata before Bryan Mata followed with three scoreless frames of relief.

With a chance to walk it off in the ninth, top prospect Marcelo Mayer laced a leadoff double to center field to get things started against Demarcus Evans. Mayer, however, failed to advance from there, as Evans retired Karson Simas, Niko Kavadas, and the pinch-hitting Ahbram Liendo to keep the 3-3 tie intact.

At Ed Smith Stadium, Kutter Crawford made his second start and third overall appearance of the spring for the visiting Red Sox. The right-hander allowed three earned runs on five hits, one walk, and four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work.

The Orioles first got to Crawford in their half of the second. There, Ramon Urias drew a leadoff walk, went from first to third base on a Nomar Mazara one-out single, and scored the first run of the day on a line-drive RBI single off the bat of Jorge Mateo. Crawford was able to retire the side in order in the next inning, though, and the Red Sox responded by putting up a four-spot in the fourth.

Matched up against one of baseball’s top pitching prospects in Grayson Rodriguez, Ceddanne Rafaela led off the fourth with a groundball single. He then stole second base while Daniel Palka was in the process of drawing a walk. That put runners at first and second with no outs for Niko Goodrum, who plated Rafaela with a then-game-tying infield single.

Rodriguez issued another walk to Caleb Hamilton to fill the bases for Narciso Crook, in turn, ended Rodriguez’s outing by singling in a run (Palka) of his own. David Hamilton then drew a bases-loaded walk off new Orioles reliever Morgan McSweeney before Nick Sogard drove in (Caleb) Hamilton on a groundout for the fourth and final run of the frame.

Despite having a brand-new three-run lead to work with, Crawford was not able to get through the bottom of the fourth. He instead gave up a one-out single to Austin Hays and a two-out RBI double to Mateo, who proved to be the final batter he would face.

Ryan Miller came on with one out still to get in the fourth, but the righty filled the bases on a walk and HBP before serving up a go-ahead grand slam to catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman’s slam put Baltimore up, 6-4, heading into the fifth.

From there, Kaleb Ort worked his way around a walk in a scoreless fifth inning while Matt Dermody continued his impressive spring by fanning three across three perfect innings of relief. The Red Sox lineup, however, was unable to get anything else going offensively as 6-4 would go on to be Sunday’s final score.

With a tie against the Yankees and a loss to the Orioles, the Red Sox are now 9-3-4 in Grapefruit League play with 16 more games remaining on the schedule before Opening Day.

Next up: Murphy vs. Manoah

The Red Sox will travel to Dunedin to take on another division rival in the Blue Jays on Monday afternoon. Left-hander Chris Murphy is slated to get the ball for Boston while All-Star right-hander Alek Manoah is lined up to do the same for Toronto.

First pitch from TD Ballpark is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN 360.

(Picture of Adam Duvall: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Triston Casas and Christian Arroyo combine for 4 hits, Tanner Houck records 4 strikeouts as Red Sox top Braves, 10-2

An hour-long bus ride from Fort Myers to North Port could not prevent the Red Sox from rolling over the Braves on Tuesday night. Boston defeated Atlanta by a final score of 10-2 at CoolToday Park to improve to 8-0-3 in Grapefruit League play.

Tanner Houck, making his second start of the spring for the Red Sox, was able to bounce back from a shaky 2023 debut last Thursday. Although the right-hander gave up two runs on three hits and two walks, he also struck out four of the 13 batters he faced over three innings.

Both of the runs Houck gave up came on one swing of the bat in the third inning. After stranding one runner in the first and facing the minimum in the second, the 26-year-old issued a leadoff walk to Marcell Ozuna to begin the third. He followed that up by serving a booming two-run home run to Kevin Pillar, which gave the Braves an early 2-0 lead.

Houck walked another batter, but he managed to escape any further damage in what would prove to be his third and final frame of work. The righty finished his evening having thrown 41 pitches. He also committed two pitch clock violations.

Though the Red Sox found themselves trailing 2-0 heading into the fourth, they quickly got both of those runs back with some added insurance. After being held in check by Braves starter (and New Bedford native) Jared Shuster, Boston mounted a rally against veteran reliever Jesse Chaves. A leadoff walk from Rob Refsnyder and a groundball single from Triston Casas put runners on the corners for Christian Arroyo, who drove in his side’s first run on a sharply-hit single of his own.

Bobby Dalbec then nearly grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play, but his groundball was misplayed by Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom, which allowed all three of Casas, Arroyo, and Dalbec to reach base safely. Reese McGuire capitalized on that fielding error by plating Casas from third on a sacrifice fly to right field. Daniel Palka followed with a line-drive single off new reliever Victor Vodnik to drive in Arroyo. Dalbec scored the fourth and final run of the inning when Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a force out at second and beat the throw at first.

In relief of Houck, Bryan Mata received the first call out of the Boston bullpen. Mata, the organization’s top pitching prospect, worked his way around a Sam Hilliard double in an otherwise clean fourth inning. The Red Sox then tacked on two more runs in their half of the fifth on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles from Casas and Arroyo. Mata, meanwhile, retired the side in order in the latter half of the fifth and capped off his outing by fanning Matt Olson.

The Red Sox and Braves proceeded to trade zeroes over the next two innings. John Schreiber walked the first two batters he faced in the sixth but got out of trouble by getting Michael Harris II to ground into a 5-4-3 double play and Grissom to fly out to right field. Schreiber recorded the first two outs of the seventh as well before making way for Matt Dermody, who punched out Forrest Wall to end the frame.

To lead off the eighth inning, Stephen Scott — who replaced McGuire at catcher in the middle of the seventh — came through by taking Brian Moran way deep to right field for his first home run of the spring. Dermody then struck out two more Braves in the bottom of the inning before the Red Sox put up a three-spot in the ninth.

With one out and one runner (Gilberto Jimenez) on, Atlanta reliever Danny Young plunked Ryan Fitzgerald and Eddinson Paulino in consecutive order. That loaded the bases for Nick Sogard, who promptly scored Jimenez and Fitzgerald on a two-run single to left field. Paulino, who advanced to third on the play, then scored his side’s 10th and final run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Scott.

Taking a commanding 10-2 lead into the last of the ninth, Dermody sat down the final three Braves hitters he faced in short order to secure yet another spring victory for the Red Sox. This one took two hours and 27 minutes to complete.

Other notable observations:

Out of the bullpen, Mata, Schreiber, and Dermody combined to strike out six of the 20 batters they faced while combining for six scoreless innings of relief.

Jimenez and David Hamilton, two of the fastest prospects in the organization, each stole a base and scored a run in Tuesday’s win.

Batting third and fourth in starting lineup, Casas and Arroyo went a combined 4-for-7 with three RBIs, three runs scored, and one walk (which belonged to Casas). Palka also went 2-for-3 while driving in a run out of the seven-hole.

Next up: Taking on Team Puerto Rico

The Red Sox will take on Team Puerto Rico in an exhibition contest on Wednesday night ahead of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Walter will get the start for Boston. It is not yet known who he will be going up against.

Regardless, first pitch from JetBlue Park is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox ride grand slams from Christian Arroyo, Wilyer Abreu to 15-3 rout of Phillies

The Red Sox continued their winning ways on Thursday afternoon by blowing out the Phillies at JetBlue Park. Boston romped Philadelphia, 15-3, to improve to 4-0-2 in Grapefruit League play.

Matched up against left-hander Bailey Falter out of the gate, the Sox got out to an early 1-0 lead in their half of the second inning. Christian Arroyo got his productive day at the plate started by crushing a leadoff home run to deep right field.

An inning later, Phillies reliever Griff McGarry loaded the bases for the Red Sox with only one out in the third. Rob Refsnyder then drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Enrique Hernandez from third. Arroyo followed by depositing a towering bases-clearing grand slam well over the faux Green Monster in left field. The second baseman’s second homer of the day and second of the spring gave his side a commanding 6-0 lead.

Following another Phillies pitching change that saw Tayhor Lehman take over for McGarry immediately after the righty gave up that grand slam, the Sox struck again as Jorge Alfaro laced a one-out single to center field. Alfaro went from first to third on a Jarren Duran double, but was thrown out at home plate. Duran, however, advanced to third on the play and then scored on an RBI double off the bat of Ryan Fitzgerald to make it a 7-0 contest heading into the fourth.

To that point, the Red Sox had used two pitchers. Tanner Houck, who got the start in what was spring debut, did not allow any runs or hits. But the right-hander struggled with his command and walked four of the nine batters he faced. Though he did record two strikeouts, Houck was limited to just 1 2/3 innings of work as a result of needing 41 pitches (2o strikes) to get five outs.

Durbin Feltman took over for Houck in the top half of the second and escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting old friend Kyle Schwarber to ground out to Justin Turner at first. He then retired the side in order in the third before giving way to Ryan Brasier, who served up a solo shot to Kody Clemens, in the fourth. Zack Kelly ran into additional trouble in the fifth, as he surrendered back-to-back run-scoring hits to Darrick Hall and Jake Cave, trimming Boston’s lead down to four runs at 7-3.

After quieting down for two innings, the Red Sox lineup kicked things back into high gear in the sixth. Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Hernandez each drew walks off new Phillies reliever Andrew Baker. Rafael Devers then plated Duran and Abreu on a two-run double to center field before the pinch-running duo of Matthew Lugo and David Hamilton each scored on RBI groundouts from Daniel Palka and Ceddanne Rafaela.

In the bottom of the seventh, Boston put up another four-spot. Enmanuel Valdez drew a leadoff walk off Billy Sullivan and Elih Marrero and Marcus Wilson both reached base via a single and hit-by-pitch. With nowhere to put him, Abreu came through by clobbering yet another grand slam to deep right field to give the Red Sox a commanding 15-3 advantage.

Taking that sizable lead into the eighth, Matt Dermody put the finishing touches on his two scoreless frames out of the bullpen after Bryan Mata had already kept the Phillies off the board in the sixth. Taylor Broadway then slammed the door on Philadelphia in the ninth to secure the victory.

Other notable numbers:

Thursday’s contest between the Red Sox and Phillies took three hours and two minutes to complete, making it the longest game of the spring so far for Boston.

Devers, Turner, and Arroyo accounted for six of Boston’s 12 hits. Arroyo, Duran, and Abreu each scored two runs while Duran and Hernandez each drew two walks.

Wong leaves with hamstring injury

Connor Wong left Thursday’s game with a strained left hamstring. The 26-year-old replaced Alfaro behind the plate and got one at-bat in the fifth before being lifted for Marrero in the sixth inning. It’s unclear how Wong got injured but he is considered to be day-to-day.

Next up: Paxton takes the hill

The Red Sox will make the quick trip to Hammond Stadium on Friday afternoon to take on the Twins in the second game of the 2023 Chairman’s Cup. Veteran left-hander James Paxton will get the start for Boston opposite Minnesota right-hander Sonny Gray.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. eastern time. The game will be televised, but only on Bally Sports North.

(Picture of Christian Arroyo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck undergoes successful back surgery

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck underwent successful back surgery in Boston on Tuesday, the club announced. The right-hander had a lumbar discectomy performed by Dr. Christopher Bono at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Houck will miss the remainder of the 2022 season but is expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2023. According to Hopkins Medicine, a lumbar discectomy is a minimally invasive type of surgery to fix a disc in the lower back.

Manager Alex Cora had revealed over the weekend that Houck would be undergoing season-ending surgery. The 26-year-old hurler was originally placed on the 15-day injured list because of lower back inflammation on August 6. He initially responded well to treatment and was making progress towards a return last week before continued back soreness forced the Red Sox to shut him down again.

It then became apparent that surgery, as opposed to rest, was the best course of action for both sides to take.

“Obviously we pushed it to pitch. But the strength is not back,” Cora told reporters on Saturday. “He was almost there. But it didn’t work out. So everybody decided this is the best course of action and he should be OK.”

All told, Houck posted a 3.15 ERA and 3.31 FIP with 56 strikeouts to 22 walks over 32 appearances (four starts) spanning 60 innings of work this season. The righty made all four of those starts in April before moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis on May 15.

From there, Houck ultimately assumed the role of Boston’s closer and pitched to a 1.49 ERA (3.18 FIP) to go along with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks across 25 relief outings (36 1/3 innings). He also converted eight of nine save opportunities.

Given his experience as a starter and reliever, the Red Sox will sit down with Houck at some point this off-season to determine how they can best utilize the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder moving forward.

“Tanner, he’s done it as a starter and a reliever,” said Cora. “He made some strides. I think he learned a lot about himself. He actually willed himself for a while there to be available, which is very important.”

The Red Sox transferred Houck to the 60-day injured list on Sunday, so he does not currently count against the club’s 40-man roster. That being said, the former first-rounder remains under team control through the end of the 2027 season.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck to undergo back surgery

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck will undergo back surgery on Tuesday, manager Alex Cora announced ahead of Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Rangers at Fenway Park.

Houck, who last pitched on August 2, will miss the remainder of the 2022 season. But he is expected to make a full recovery and subsequently be ready for spring training in February.

Boston originally placed Houck on the 15-day injured list with lower back inflammation on Aug. 6. The 26-year-old right-hander was later diagnosed with a disc issue in his lower back after being examined by a spine specialist in the city.

While the Red Sox elected to briefly shut down Houck, they were hopeful he would respond positively to treatment. That appeared to be the case when he resumed playing catch last week and was scheduled to throw live batting practice in Worcester on Tuesday. But that did not happen as scheduled, as Houck was completely shut down from baseball activities due to continued back soreness.

“It’s disc related,” Cora said (via MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) of Houck’s impending surgery. “He should be fine for spring training. Obviously we pushed it to pitch. But the strength is not back. He was almost there. But it didn’t work out. So everybody decided this is the best course of action and he should be OK.”

With his year now over, Houck has finished his third year in the big-leagues having posted a 3.15 ERA and 3.31 FIP with 56 strikeouts to 22 walks over 32 appearances (four starts) spanning 60 innings of work. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound hurler made all four of those starts in April before moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis on May 15.

From there, Houck ultimately assumed the role of Boston’s closer while pitching to a 1.49 ERA (3.18 FIP) to go along with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks across 25 relief outings (36 1/3 innings). He also converted eight of nine save opportunities.

“I thought he was solid,” Cora said. “Obviously as a starter, he did his thing. Then, we moved him to the bullpen and I think he was really good in the bullpen. The stuff is really good.”

Cora added that during the off-season, the Red Sox will sit down and talk about how to best utilize Houck and fellow righty Garrett Whitlock. The pair now have experience starting and closing out games at the major-league level, which is a valuable asset.

“We know they can do both,” said Cora. “Obviously that’s a bigger conversation to where we’re going to go and what we’re going to try to do in the off-season. But they can impact the game on either side — the first five innings or the last four innings. They’re that good. And Tanner, he’s done it as a starter and a reliever. He made some strides. I think he learned a lot about himself. He actually willed himself for a while there to be available, which is very important.”

Houck, who does not turn 27 until next June and is under club control through 2027, will likely be placed on the 60-day injured list. That would allow the Red Sox to create an opening on their 40-man roster for the impending promotion of Triston Casas.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Mayer/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck likely to undergo back surgery

UPDATE: Before Friday’s game, Cora announced that Houck will likely undergo back surgery. He also indicated that more information will be available later Friday night or more likely on Saturday, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne.

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck may not pitch again this season, manager Alex Cora said before Thursday’s series opener against the Rangers at Fenway Park.

Houck has been on the injured list since August 6 with lower back inflammation. It was later revealed that the right-hander had a disc issue in his lower back after being examined by a spine specialist in Boston.

Following a brief period of rest and a positive response to treatment, Houck resumed playing catch last week and was slated to throw live batting practice in Worcester on Tuesday. That did not happen as scheduled, as Cora initially revealed that the 26-year-old was still dealing with “continued back soreness.”

Two days later, and Houck has been completely shut down. It remains to be seen if his 2022 campaign is now over, though Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) “there’s a good chance” when asked about that possibility.

“There’s no baseball activities,” Cora said. “He went to see a back specialist. “We’ll know more throughout the day or tomorrow.”

If Houck’s year is indeed over, the righty would have posted a 3.15 ERA and 3.31 FIP with 56 strikeouts to 22 walks over 32 appearances (four starts) spanning 60 innings of work. He began the season in Boston’s starting rotation and made those four starts before moving into the bullpen on a full-time basis on May 15.

From that point forward, Houck produced a 1.49 ERA (3.18 FIP) to go along with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks across 25 relief outings (36 1/3 innings). He also converted eight of nine save opportunities.

With Houck sidelined for the foreseeable future, Cora will have to continue to rely upon the likes of John Schreiber, Garrett Whitlock, and Matt Barnes in the late innings of games.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck shut down from throwing due to continued back soreness

Red Sox closer Tanner Houck was slated to throw live batting practice in Worcester on Tuesday. That did not happen as scheduled.

Houck, who has been on the injured list with lower back inflammation since August 6, is now “on hold” from throwing “because of continued back soreness,” manager Alex Cora told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) before Tuesday’s game against the Twins.

Two weeks ago, Houck was diagnosed with a disc issue in his lower back after being examined by a spine specialist in Boston. Following a brief period of rest, the right-hander resumed playing catch again at Fenway Park last week after responding well to treatment.

“He’s got the green light to keep going,” Cora said last Tuesday. “We just have to build him up and see how it goes. The hope is for him to get back at one point this season. He feels strong. The treatment has been good. It’s just the start now. He feels good enough to keep going.”

Despite those positive steps, it now appears as though Houck’s availability for the rest of the year is in question. With only five weeks left until the regular season ends, the Red Sox could very well elect to shut down the 26-year-old hurler as their playoff hopes continue to dwindle.

Houck began the 2022 season in Boston’s starting rotation and started four games before moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis on May 15. Since then, the righty has posted a 1.49 ERA and 3.18 FIP with 33 strikeouts to 11 walks over 25 relief appearances spanning 36 1/3 innings of work. He has also gone 8-for-9 in save opportunities.

While Houck has been sidelined, the Red Sox have had to look elsewhere in regards to closing out games. Since Houck last pitched on Aug. 2, Garrett Whitlock has recorded a team-high three saves while Matt Barnes has notched two and John Schreiber has picked up one.

(Picture of Tanner Houck: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)