Tanner Houck preparing for the long rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery

Boston Globe

2 days ago

Tanner Houck had an 8.04 earned run average in nine starts for the Red Sox this season.
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Houck had non-surgical alternatives available, including platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell treatment, to try to fix his arm. But those would have merely been 'delaying the inevitable,' he said, so he opted for the operation.
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'This was the decision that I made, just for longevity of the career,' Houck, 29, said Sunday. 'I want to pitch for another 10 years, 10-plus years. Looking at it from a longevity standpoint, this is the road we decided to take.
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'It's about trusting the day-to-day work. It's going to be long. It's going to be hard. But I'm ready for it. I've made peace with it myself. I had a lot of long conversations with my wife — early mornings, late nights talking about it.'
Already, he has sought advice from his peers.
'They all said the same thing: You'll come back better from this,' he said. 'I'm ready to get it going.'
Houck this week will go to the Dallas area, where Dr.
Keith Meister
will do the surgery. The rehab will be 12-14 months minimum, making Houck questionable to take the mound in 2026.
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That marks the end of a lost year for Houck, who had an 8.04 ERA in nine starts. In mid-May, he landed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain in the forearm, which sometimes is a prelude to UCL issues.
Houck sat out awhile, went on a rehab assignment, struggled, started to pitch better, and seemingly was on the brink of a return. But over the All-Star break, two months into his IL stint, he encountered more problems — in his hand and his tricep.
The Sox sent him for another MRI, which showed significantly worse damage in his forearm/elbow — much worse than the inflammation from the previous test.
Red Sox chief baseball officer
Craig Breslow
said it is hard to know whether the beginnings of the injury were what caused Houck problems when he pitched early in the season.
'A little bit surprised [with this outcome], just because it seemed like he was making progress through the rehab process,' Breslow said. 'It felt like we were turning the corner … It felt like we needed to make sure there was nothing we were missing. It turns out there was something pretty significant going on.'
A year removed from being an All-Star, Houck is relegated to observer. He called it 'just a little time away.'
'It's unfortunate. It sucks,' he said. 'It's a fun team to watch, it's a fun team to be around. Just knowing I'm not going to be a part of it for the rest of the year is hard.'
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Setback for Sandoval
One instance of a Tommy John rehab not going so smoothly:
Patrick Sandoval
.
Breslow said he does not expect Sandoval, who had surgery last summer, to pitch this season following a recent setback. Sandoval for now isn't throwing at all, though the Sox want him to fully ramp up and face batters before he goes into the offseason.
'Nothing out of the ordinary for a Tommy John rehab process, just a little bit of a delay as we've seen with a number of guys,' Breslow said.
Similarly, manager
Alex Cora
said he is not confident
Liam Hendriks
(right hip injury) will make it back this season.
Justin Slaten
, working his way back from a nerve issue in his neck/right shoulder, was 'upbeat' Sunday after his first bullpen session Saturday, Cora said.
'Hard to put a timetable on it, just given the topsy-turvy nature of the recovery to date,' Breslow said.
Down the depth chart
In talking up the club's rotation depth, Breslow highlighted prospect
David Sandlin
— a righthander recently promoted to Triple A Worcester — as a candidate to pitch out of the major league bullpen down the stretch.
'Sandlin is a guy who comes to mind,' he said. 'It's really power stuff. Maybe with a simplified approach, he could come in and overwhelm hitters with the stuff. Those conversations are ongoing.'
Sandlin's fastball averaged 95.3 miles per hour and maxed out at 98.1 with Worcester on Friday.
Breslow on Bregman
Breslow declined to comment on the state of
Alex Bregman
contract talks (if they exist). 'It's always great when somebody wants to be here,' he said. 'I think probably best to keep those conversations internal outside of being incredibly appreciative and excited about what he's brought here on the field and also off the field, what he's meant to some of the younger guys. When appropriate, we'll approach that' …
Connor Wong
, 0 for 2 with a sacrifice fly Sunday, will catch again Monday, per Cora. That will be his first time starting consecutive games since May 2-3. 'It's been a while, huh?' Wong said. Cora: 'It's important for his confidence and for his at-bats' …
Kristian Campbell
was out of Worcester's lineup after jamming his right thumb Saturday. Breslow said he is day-to-day … The Red Sox are 3-0 in games that start before noon.
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Tim Healey can be reached at