Article: Tanner Houck May Be Pitching His Way Out of the Red Sox's Rotation

[Alex Mayes]

Boston, we have a problem.

That problem? Tanner Houck.

Sure, there have been flashes of the pitcher from early 2024 that dominated and befuddled opposing hitters, but the proof is in the pudding: Houck is pitching his was into obscurity. After the second time this season that he gave up at least 10 runs in less than three innings of work, it’s time to have some serious discussions about Houck’s role on this team.

We briefly talked about Houck to close Episode 11 of the Talk Sox Podcast, and that conversation caused me to keep thinking about his situation throughout the rest of the night. As I stated on the podcast, I’m a fan of Houck’s. He’s a semi-local guy and I want to see him do well for the team I root for. I just don’t think we’re going to see that as long as he’s in the starting rotation. After the second implosion this season, Houck currently sports an 8.04 ERA, 6.13 FIP, and a -0.4 WAR. He’s a liability in every sense of the word. When he steps to the mound, you assume that the Red Sox will lose that game. It doesn’t help that the offense continues to not show up in his outings. but his Baseball Savant page is ice cold. Just look for yourself. But, hey, at least he's generating a lot of groundballs. That’s… something?

The elephant in the room is that moving Houck around isn’t the simplest thing. Right now, there are too many pitchers on the injured list for him to be replaced in the rotation. Walker Buehler should be back the week of May 18th, but that’s not a guarantee. Richard Fitts has thrown two bullpen sessions and is projected to return to the rotation at the end of May or beginning of June. Kutter Crawford is currently throwing bullpen sessions, but there’s been no real time table established for his return to the big league club. Once these starters begin to return though, tough questions have to be answered. Houck has two minor league options left, and though his performance has validated such a (potential) move, it’s not hard to imagine that Houck would view this as a major demotion that could further disrupt his waning confidence. That being said, time in the minor leagues may be just the thing he needs to return to form.

I don’t think that the front office will designate him for assignment yet, as he still has some value to the organization, even just in name recognition. While there was a time when I thought Houck could be an elite closer for this team, that ship has sailed too. A move to the bullpen likely wouldn’t be well received by Houck, and there’s really not an arm in there that you would want to replace with him, so it becomes even more convoluted if the team decides to take that option.

It’s fair to wonder if there’s something mechanically wrong, maybe even an elbow or arm issue that hasn’t fully reared its ugly head. Houck is still averaging more than two inches less of break on his sweeper than he was in 2024. It looks like it just doesn’t snap out of his hand like it used to, and hitters are mashing it.

We saw the Blue Jays take a similar approach with Alek Manoah last season. He’s currently still in their minor league system, but he’s nearing a return to the rotation. Now, I’m not saying that Houck’s situation is as dire as Manoah’s was but it’s worth considering all options get Houck back to being a big league-caliber starter.

There was a lot of expectations placed on Tanner Houck, even after a lackluster second half of 2024. The front office wanted him to step into the number two role in the rotation, but until and unless he rights the flaws in his game, he could be on the outside looking in. Houck can and should be a vital member of this rotation, but if his starts continue to look like they have thus far in 2025, a "serious" Red Sox team has to shorten the leash.

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[TheSplinteredSplendor]

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