Red Sox' Tanner Houck on Tommy John surgery: ‘I've made peace with it'

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Red Sox starter Tanner Houck said he's at peace with his decision to undergo Tommy John surgery.
'It's unfortunate,' Houck said Sunday at Fenway Park. 'It sucks. It's a fun team to watch. It's a fun team to be around. And just knowing I'm not going to be a part of it for the rest of the year, it's hard. But I know I'll bounce back better from this."
Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery at some point this week. The 29-year-old righty said 'probably midweek.'
He and Dr. Meister have not yet discussed if he might be able to return late in the 2026 season, but Houck is hopeful.
"I know the minimum is probably around the 12-month mark, 12- to the 14-month mark," Houck said. '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. But you also got to do it the smart way, the correct way. And I gotta be honest with myself. If there's a point in this where it doesn't feel right and I need to take a step back, it's what we're gonna need to do. 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."
Houck underwent an initial MRI back when he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor pronator strain May 14. The first MRI showed a good amount of inflammation in the flexor, he said.
The second MRI came after his five rehab outings for Triple-A Worcester and Double-A Portland. He began feeling 'a lot of discomfort in the hand' as well as discomfort in his triceps during the All-Star Break. He said the additional imaging showed 'significantly worse' damage.
'Flexor was torn a good bit,' Houck said. 'But just didn't feel right throwing, didn't feel normal kind of the way that I operate at a high whippy volume. Just never really felt like it got back to normal.'
He said there were alternatives to the surgery but there was also a thought those other routes were just 'delaying the inevitable' and he would eventually need the surgery.
'You can go the PRP route, stem cells, kind of those things,' Houck said.
He said undergoing the procedure was ultimately the best decision for the longevity of his career.
'I want to pitch for another 10 years, 10-plus years,' he said. 'And looking at a longevity standpoint, this is just the road that we decided to take.'
He pointed to both teammates Garrett Whitlock and Lucas Giolito who have returned strong this season after undergoing arm surgeries last year. Whitlock underwent a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament repair in May 2024. Giolito underwent an internal brace procedure to repair his damaged elbow in March 2024.
'Look at what they've done this year, it's incredible," Houck said. 'So it's just about trusting day to day work. It's gonna be long, it's gonna be hard, but I'm ready for it. I've made peace with it myself. Had a lot of long conversations with my wife — early mornings, late nights talking about it.'
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