60-Day IL
Injury Elbow
Est. Return 9/1/2026
2025 Stats
W-L
0-3
ERA
8.04
WHIP
1.69
K
32
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Houck worked exclusively as a starter in 2024 and shaved nearly two runs off his ERA, improved his walk rate and was better against lefties on his way to posting a 3.9 fWAR. The right-hander still refers to his money pitch as a slider, but it acted like a sweeper, which he was influenced to throw by new pitching coach Andrew Bailey. There weren't many starters better in the first half than Houck, whose 2.54 ERA and strikeout-per-inning rate landed him in the All-Star Game. He fell off in the second half, but the team views 2024 as a season of growth. Houck pitched deeper into games, improved in the latter innings, and a high groundball rate (93rd percentile) kept home runs down over his career-high 30 starts. Houck was poised to start Opening Day, but that staff ace will now be Garrett Crochet, for whom Boston traded a couple of top prospects. Read Past Outlooks

Eyeing return in late 2026
Houck (elbow) confirmed Sunday that he will undergo Tommy John surgery around mid-week and said that he's hopeful to resume pitching by the end of the 2026 season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. "I know the minimum [recovery time from surgery] is probably around the 12-month mark, 12 to the 14-month mark. With that being said, if everything goes right, 12 months from now, plan on being back out there, running out to the mound at Fenway," Houck said. "But you also got to do it the smart way, the correct way...But I'm gonna do everything in my power to get back out there at this time next year and be essentially a trade deadline piece, come back and help in 2026."
Analysis
According to Smith, Houck noted that he and his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, haven't yet discussed whether a late-2026 return is realistic, so the right-hander's tune could change depending on how his surgery goes. Even if Houck meets his goal, he probably won't be available for the big club until September of next season in a best-case scenario, and would likely be working out of the bullpen. Before landing on the shelf May 14 with a right flexor pronator strain, Houck struggled over his nine starts with Boston, logging an 8.09 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB in 43.2 innings. He was cleared to begin a rehab assignment June 18 but was shut down shortly before the All-Star break after a follow-up MRI revealed "significantly worse" damage to his elbow that ultimately prompted Houck's decision to get surgery.
According to Smith, Houck noted that he and his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, haven't yet discussed whether a late-2026 return is realistic, so the right-hander's tune could change depending on how his surgery goes. Even if Houck meets his goal, he probably won't be available for the big club until September of next season in a best-case scenario, and would likely be working out of the bullpen. Before landing on the shelf May 14 with a right flexor pronator strain, Houck struggled over his nine starts with Boston, logging an 8.09 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 32:17 K:BB in 43.2 innings. He was cleared to begin a rehab assignment June 18 but was shut down shortly before the All-Star break after a follow-up MRI revealed "significantly worse" damage to his elbow that ultimately prompted Houck's decision to get surgery.
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2025 MLB Game Log
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
83
Last 10 Games
83
Last 5 Games
85
How many pitches does Tanner Houck generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Tanner Houck generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-5%
BAA vs RHP
2025
-35%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2023vs Left | .257 | 140 | 67 | 169 | 23 | |||
Since 2023vs Right | .245 | 145 | 39 | 148 | 12 | |||
2025vs Left | .378 | 17 | 12 | 37 | 7 | |||
2025vs Right | .247 | 15 | 5 | 20 | 3 | |||
2024vs Left | .215 | 72 | 30 | 76 | 5 | |||
2024vs Right | .249 | 82 | 18 | 80 | 6 | |||
2023vs Left | .271 | 51 | 25 | 56 | 11 | |||
2023vs Right | .236 | 48 | 16 | 48 | 3 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-14%
ERA at Home
2025
-78%
ERA at Home
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2023Home | 4.06 | 1.29 | 166.1 | 7.5 | 2.9 | ||||
Since 2023Away | 4.72 | 1.28 | 162.0 | 8.1 | 2.9 | ||||
2025Home | 2.60 | 1.15 | 17.1 | 5.7 | 3.1 | ||||
2025Away | 11.62 | 2.05 | 26.1 | 7.2 | 3.8 | ||||
2024Home | 3.33 | 1.17 | 94.2 | 7.0 | 2.4 | ||||
2024Away | 2.89 | 1.11 | 84.0 | 8.6 | 2.5 | ||||
2023Home | 5.80 | 1.55 | 54.1 | 8.9 | 3.6 | ||||
2023Away | 4.18 | 1.18 | 51.2 | 7.8 | 3.3 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Tanner Houck compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
1.88K/9
6.6BB/9
3.5HR/9
2.1Fastball
94.6 mphERA
8.04WHIP
1.69BABIP
.340GB/FB
2.00Left On Base
55.0%Exit Velocity
85.1 mphBarrels/BBE
5.6%Spin Rate
2272 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
31.9%Swinging Strike
8.9%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
After bouncing back-and-forth between starting and relieving the previous two seasons, Houck was used exclusively as a starter by the Red Sox in 2023. The results were middling, with Houck finishing with an ERA over 5.00 and not posting an ERA below 4.00 in any month. His strikeout rate (21.4 percent) was also below the league average. Houck generates lots of grounders (53 percent) and does a good job of avoiding the long ball. However, he's always had problems with left-handed batters and usually gets worse as the game moves along, attributes which scream reliever. Whether the Red Sox go that route with the right-hander or give him another shot to start in 2024 isn't clear, and unless he's used as the closer (unlikely) he's probably not going to have much fantasy value in either role.
More Fantasy News

Slated for Tommy John surgery
Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Houck (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Analysis
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Shifts to 60-day IL
Houck (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Analysis
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Shut down indefinitely
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Monday that Houck (elbow) will be shut down indefinitely after experiencing a recurrence of right flexor soreness, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Analysis
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Suffers setback during rehab
Houck was returned from his minor-league rehab assignment Saturday due to a recurrence of a right pronator strain, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Analysis
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Back from assignment, still inactive
The Red Sox returned Houck (elbow) from his rehab assignment Friday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Analysis
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors

Cubs interested?
According to Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, the Cubs will likely monitor Houck, who is returning from a right elbow strain, ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Analysis
Houck had an 8.04 ERA through nine starts this season before landing on the injured list in mid-May, and he's expected to be back with the Red Sox in the immediate future after completing a five-outing rehab assignment. The right-hander appeared to cement his place in Boston's rotation during the 2024 regular season with a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 154:48 K:BB across 178.2 innings, but his awful start to 2025 has left his role as a bit more of a question mark. It could be a good opportunity to buy low on the trade market, though the Red Sox are still likely to require a sizable return since the 29-year-old has two more years of arbitration eligibility after this season.
Houck had an 8.04 ERA through nine starts this season before landing on the injured list in mid-May, and he's expected to be back with the Red Sox in the immediate future after completing a five-outing rehab assignment. The right-hander appeared to cement his place in Boston's rotation during the 2024 regular season with a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 154:48 K:BB across 178.2 innings, but his awful start to 2025 has left his role as a bit more of a question mark. It could be a good opportunity to buy low on the trade market, though the Red Sox are still likely to require a sizable return since the 29-year-old has two more years of arbitration eligibility after this season.