Article: Red Sox Injury Updates: Tanner Houck Throwing Bullpens, Masataka Yoshida Improving, More

[Nick John]

The Red Sox have started to turn their season around following the promotion of all three of their top prospects. As the month of June nears its halfway point, the Red Sox look to continue stacking wins despite still dealing with injuries to several key players. The good news is that the team remains in the thick of the Wild Card hunt, and a number of injured players appear to be making significant progress in their recoveries.

Kutter Crawford

Crawford has been dealing with a combination of injuries since the beginning of spring training. What was originally right patellar soreness has also expanded to right wrist discomfort. Throughout the season, Crawford has been scheduled to throw either bullpen sessions or game action down at Fort Myers, but has failed to actually get into them. Now, he’s being slowed by soreness in his right wrist, which has limited him to only playing catch. Alex Cora stated they hope to know more in the coming days, though, it seems less and less likely that Crawford will be an important member of the pitching staff this season.

Tanner Houck

Houck opened the year in the rotation and was rather awful, as he had an 8.04 ERA in nine games. He was nowhere close to the pitcher that was an All-Star in 2024, and after a May 12th start in Detroit that saw him allow 11 runs in only 2 1/3 innings, he was placed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain. Since then, Houck has been working to get back on the mound, and on June 10th threw his second bullpen session in the span of four days. Should he continue to respond well to an increased workload, don’t be surprised if there will be talk of a potential rehab assignment in the coming days. However, it seems unlikely Houck is back with the Red Sox before the All-Star break.

Nick Burdi

After having his contract selected by the Red Sox, pitching in two games and being optioned back to Worcester, Burdi was recalled to Boston, where he appeared in two more games and compiled three innings pitched. In his last game against the Los Angeles Angels, Burdi suffered a right foot contusion while covering the bag and handling an off-target toss by Romy González. Burdi seems to be progressing as expected and should be starting a rehab assignment by Father’s Day weekend. Even if the rehab appearance goes well, Burdi will not be eligible to return from the injured list until June 18th at the earliest.

Wilyer Abreu

Abreu appeared to hurt his oblique during the first June series with the New York Yankees. Due to that, he was placed on the injured list to allow the Red Sox to fill his spot on the roster and give him a chance to properly rest and recover. The severity of the injury doesn’t appear concerning, and the Red Sox themselves expect him to return to the team for when they play the San Francisco Giants starting June 20th.

Masataka Yoshida

It’s been a long and draining season for Yoshida, who has yet to even be assigned to a rehab assignment yet. Offseason shoulder surgery has left him unable to play, as he and the team look to strengthen his shoulder. Previously, Yoshida had been seen before the game on May 4th tossing the ball a few times, only to stop due to what looked to be pain. Lately, he has told WEEI.com that he’s currently throwing up to 105 feet and is turning a corner when it comes to throwing. During the series with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was shown taking batting practice before one of the games with little issue. Yoshida believes he should be able to begin a rehab assignment by early July the latest, but it seems he still won’t be back with Boston until after the All-Star break. He could prove to be a nice second-half reinforcement.

Justin Slaten

Slaten went down with right shoulder inflammation at the start of June, and while many hoped it would be a short injured list stint, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, Slaten hasn’t been progressing as everyone hoped as he’s yet to begin throwing again. The hope is that he’ll be back at some point in July to bring help to a tired bullpen.

Chris Murphy

Murphy missed all of 2024 after having Tommy John surgery and has started a rehab assignment. Murphy has pitched in six games so far, tossing a total of 8 1/3 innings as he works his way back to Boston. Prior to getting hurt in 2024 Murphy was viewed as a key member of the bullpen, and once healthy, could slot in as a multi-inning reliever who could help bridge the middle innings to the late-inning crew.

Alex Bregman

Bregman appears to be recovering at a faster rate than when he hurt his quad back in 2021, as he’s currently running. Bregman was placed on the injured list after injuring his quad on May 23rd against the Baltimore Orioles. According to Bregman and Cora, the duo have a date in mind for his return, but will not reveal what it is just yet. Assuming there's no setbacks, Bregman should be back at some point in July, missing just over a month.

Triston Casas

Currently, Casas has yet to get a definitive timeline for when he could return to the field, but after suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee and undergoing season-ending surgery, he’s started his rehab to be ready for next year. Casas has stated that despite not having a set timetable, he’s been told it shouldn’t take longer than a year to recover and hopes to play on Opening Day in 2026.

Liam Hendriks

Hendriks has suffered several injuries and setbacks since signing with the Red Sox, with his right hip inflammation issue being the latest. Hendriks went back on the injured list on May 30th, with the transaction being retroactive to May 28th. Since then, he’s also shown symptoms similar to a sports hernia, but has said that was not why he’s on the injured list. The earliest he could have returned would have been June 13th, but without throwing in any rehab appearances just yet, a July return is much more likely.

Patrick Sandoval

Sandoval continues to recover from his UCL injury. There hasn’t been much in the way of updates with Sandoval, as the latest information was him throwing off a mound in late May. Sandoval is still expected not to return to action until after the All-Star break and probably won’t throw in a game for Boston until August. That was expected when the team signed him to a two-year deal, with the hope he’d be back to full health for 2026.

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