Disaster Strikes For Red Sox All-Star; May Miss Entire 2026 Season

A very tough blow

May 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; A Boston Red Sox hat and glove sit in the dug out before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The more we heard about Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck's injury, the less likely it seemed that he was coming back this season.

Houck last pitched in the majors on May 12, when he surrendered 11 earned runs to the Detroit Tigers in 2 1/3 innings. He was placed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain, went on a rehab assignment, shut down that rehab, and wound up on the 60-day injured list.

On Saturday, the worst possible news came. Houck is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to manager Alex Cora, which means he's thrown his last pitch for the Red Sox in 2025.

“Tough year for him,” Cora said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “Tough year for us. But he’ll kill the rehab. He’ll do his job and whenever he comes back, he’ll be OK.”

Houck joins the long list of Red Sox starting pitchers who are either confirmed to be out for the season or at least likely, including Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, and Patrick Sandoval.

Only a year after making his first career All-Star team, Houck struggled immediately out of the gates and never recovered. He wound up with an 8.04 ERA in 43 2/3 innings, as opposing batters hit .318 against the 29-year-old with a .920 OPS.

Whether or not Houck's elbow ligament was torn was a constant debate, as Cora acknowledged on Saturday.

“I know that throughout the whole process, there were different opinions and that was the last one,” Cora said, per Smith. “And Tanner decided to go with that one.”

Tommy John is many pitchers' worst fear, and with good reason. Repairing a torn UCL in a pitcher's throwing elbow takes a very long time, as those who return to the mound in a year's time are considered the lucky ones. Houck's availability for the entire 2026 season is very much in doubt, as one would figure the earliest he could return would be around August next year.

Houck is headed to free agency after the 2027 season, so this year really has halted his momentum. He'll have to come back strong to secure the second contract he was hoping to earn coming off his excellent 2024 campaign.