How Did Tanner Houck Fare in First Rehab Appearance?

BOSTON -- In recent weeks, the Boston Red Sox pitching staff has been hit by a string of injuries, particularly in the bullpen, which has seen key relievers Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten and Tyron Guerrero land on the injured list as a result of their heavy usage during the team's historic month of July. Despite the string of injuries, reinforcements are on the way for the banged-up staff, as injured pitchers Johan Oviedo and Garrett Crochet have begun throwing progressions, while Tanner Houck joined Double-A Portland on Tuesday night to kick off a rehab assignment. 

Here's what you need to know about how Houck fared in his first appearance: 

The 30-year-old took the mound in relief of Portland starter Dalton Rogers in the top of the fifth inning with the Sea Dogs tied with the New York Mets' affiliate, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, 5-5. After falling behind Binghamton's No. 2 hitter, shortstop Marco Vargas, 2-0, Houck got the 21-year-old to fly out to center fielder Will Turner for the first out of the inning. 

The second batter Houck faced was the toughest test of his outing: New York's top prospect, third baseman Jefferson Rojas. After falling behind baseball's No. 76-rated prospect 3-0, Houck was able to battle back into the count, working it full before issuing a free pass to Rojas. 

With Rojas on first, Houck again fell behind New York's seventh-ranked prospect, first baseman Jacob Reimer, 1-0, with Rojas stealing second base and then advancing to third on a 1-1 wild pitch. Houck again worked a full count before losing Reimer, putting runners on the corners with only one out for the Mets' No. 17-ranked prospect, catcher Chris Suero. 

After falling behind 2-0 to Suero, Houck evened the count 2-2 before getting the 22-year-old backstop to ground out to shortstop, scoring Rojas and advancing Reimer to second. After throwing 20 pitches to four batters, Portland's acting manager lifted Houck after just two-thirds of an inning in which he allowed one earned run thanks to the pair of walks. 

Houck is expected to be back with Portland on Friday night, where he will throw around 40 pitches. He'll then join Triple-A Worcester next week to continue to work his way back to Boston. 

It was a rough go of things for the then-29-year-old right-hander the last time he was on a big-league mound on May 12, 2025, as he allowed 11 earned runs on nine hits in just 2.1 innings pitched in a 14-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers before being placed on the injured list with a right flexor strain. After attempting to go out on a rehab assignment with both Portland and Triple-A Worcester in June and July, it was determined that he would need Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in August.

Overall, it was an ugly 2025 campaign for the then-29-year-old right-hander, as he posted an 8.09 ERA in 43.1 innings across nine starts with opposing batters hitting .318 against him. Houck was hurt particularly by the home run ball, as his home runs per nine innings of 2.06 ranked as the second-highest mark among all qualified pitchers at the time. 

However, Houck is just two years removed from the best season of his career, when he posted a 3.12 ERA in 178.2 innings, holding opponents to a .231 batting average en route to his first All-Star nod. 

The Red Sox are 80-65 and in third place in the American League East.