Amid Red Sox uncertainty, Tanner Houck wants to remain a starting pitcher
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'There's a lot of things on the table,' manager
Alex
Cora
said when asked specifically about the bullpen option. 'We'll decide that when we have to do.'
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Barring a move to a six-man rotation, there seems not to be an opening. Cora said the Red Sox plan to use
Richard Fitts
to replace
Hunter Dobbins
(torn ACL).
Related
:
Houck has some experience as a reliever, none since 2022. He had a 2.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP (and eight saves) in 28 relief appearances that year.
And then there is the Triple A alternative. Houck has options remaining, so the Sox can exercise that flexibility if they want.
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Before being sidelined, Houck struggled, posting an 8.04 ERA in nine starts. That was a major drop-off from his All-Star first half in 2024.
'A year ago, obviously going to Texas last year was an incredible honor to represent this team,' Houck said. 'A year before that, I was recovering from getting hit in the face [by a line drive while pitching]. Kind of a whirlwind of a three-year span, but ultimately, the goal is to get back to the form that I know I can and compete at the highest level again.'
Cora mentioned in passing recently that Houck had been having trouble recovering from his rehab starts. Houck downplayed that concern.
'Up until probably this last one, I was not quite bouncing back like I know the way the body could,' he said. 'After this last time around, it's feeling a lot better, feeling stronger. That's all you can ask for coming back from something like that. Being an arm problem, you never want to push the envelope too quickly and have a setback.'
A Giolito contract check
A subplot to
Lucas Giolito's
season: If he totals at least 140 innings, the $14 million club option that the Red Sox hold on him for 2026 transforms into a $19 million mutual option. That means he can become a free agent instead — and, if he keeps pitching like he has lately, cash in.
Through 13 starts, Giolito has tossed 72⅓ innings. He is on pace for 13 more outings.
If Lucas Giolito reaches 140 innings this season, his club option for next year becomes a mutual option.
Barry Chin/Globe Staff
So if he maintains his season average the rest of the way, he would hit 140 in pretty much his final game of the season.
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'I don't think it's healthy to think about, 'Oh, I need to throw X amount of innings,' ' he said. 'It's just however it goes. Every time I take the ball, I want to go as deep as possible [regardless of contract status]. That's pretty much it.'
This is a conversation only because he missed the first month of the season because of a leg injury. Otherwise, he could be coasting to the open market.
'Stupid hamstring,' Giolito said.
All-Star talk
In reminiscing about the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park — featuring one of Ted Williams's final public appearances — Cora lamented the modern state of the Midsummer Classic.
Ted Williams is greeted by the Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. after Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park.
DAVIS, Jim Globe Staff
As of Sunday afternoon, per the most recent rosters available from MLB, 81 players had been named All-Stars. That included 16 who were chosen as replacements for those who dropped out.
'We have to do a better job to get the best of the best out there,' Cora said, suggesting pushing the exhibition to Wednesday or making the All-Star break longer so players could rest more. 'There's too many All-Stars.'
Of the Red Sox' three All-Stars, two won't play.
Garrett Crochet
declined because of his heavy workload (including a complete game Saturday) and
Alex Bregman
passed because he is only two games into his return from a strained right quad. They both still will physically be in Atlanta for at least some of the goings-on, joining
Aroldis Chapman
.
Swapping Sox
The Red Sox traded catcher
Blake Sabol
to the White Sox for cash.
Joey Cora
, then a White Sox coach, looked at Alex, looked at a plane flying over the stadium, and said: 'There goes your flight.' Chicago won, 6-5, on
Tadahito Iguchi's
single off
Rudy Seánez
. . .
Trevor Story
is the first Red Sox player to be successful in his first 16 steal attempts since
Jacoby Ellsbury
in 2008 . . .
Roman Anthony
, 21, is the youngest Red Sox player with a hit streak of at least nine games since
Tony Conigliaro
in 1965.
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Associated Press Aaron Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 career homers on Saturday and it feels inevitable that the Bronx slugger will join the hallowed 500-homer club sometime in the next several years. He could have plenty of company. The 28-player group could swell significantly in the coming decade, with Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton (432), Mike Trout (395), Paul Goldschmidt (370), Manny Machado (359), Freddie Freeman (353), Nolan Arenado (351) and Bryce Harper (346) all within striking distance. Lurking a little further down the active leaderboard, Kyle Schwarber (314), Eugenio Suarez (307), Mookie Betts (282), Francisco Lindor (267), Shohei Ohtani (257) and Pete Alonso (247) are piling up big numbers and still in their early 30s. And then there's Juan Soto, who already has 224 homers at the tender age of 26. Some are stronger candidates than others, given their injury history and age. The 35-year-old Stanton has battled various ailments over the past several seasons, but has been productive when he's played. The 33-year-old Trout has been slowed by injuries, too, but hit enough homers in his 20s that it would be surprising if he didn't eventually reach the mark. This generation's group of sluggers is reminiscent of a stretch from 2001 to 2009, when Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas and Gary Sheffield all made it to 500. The biggest difference is several of those players' accomplishments were tainted — at least to some — because it was part of a era that included widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs. The club has been relatively hard to join over the past decade. The last to reach 500 was Detroit's Miguel Cabrera on Aug. 22, 2021. Before that, Red Sox star David Ortiz slugged his 500th homer in 2015. Even among the elite sluggers, Judge stands out for the speed in which he's piling up dingers. Many forget he didn't play his first full big league season until he was 25, but the 33-year-old has needed just 1,088 games to reach 350 homers. Unsung non All-Stars This group of players won't be featured at the All-Star game in Atlanta on Tuesday, but they are having great under-the-radar seasons through the first half. Ceddanne Rafalea, Red Sox: The 24-year-old center fielder has blossomed in his second full MLB season and is hitting .271 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and 13 stolen bases, all while playing excellent defense. Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, Cubs: Hoerner continues to be one of the game's best second basemen, batting .283 with 18 doubles, 39 RBIs and 16 stolen bases, all while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense. The 27-year-old Busch is batting .290 with 19 homers, providing the NL Central-leading Cubs some thump. Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies: The left-hander has been a big part of a stacked Philadelphia rotation with a 8-2 record, 2.50 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 115 innings. He put an exclamation point on his first half on Sunday, giving up just one run over 7 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Padres. Framber Valdez, Astros: The righty had a terrific first half with a 10-4 record, 2.75 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings. Trivia Question Soto's 224 career homers lead the pack for MLB players who haven't turned 30 years old. Who are the other players in their 20s that round out the top five? Here come the Red Sox The Boston Red Sox have won 10 straight games heading into the All-Star break — their longest winning streak since 2018 — setting up an intriguing second half for a club that looked very average for most of the season's first three months. Rafaela has been one of the major catalysts for Boston's surge, hitting a walk-off homer on Friday night and another two-run homer in Sunday's win. The AL East race could be a barnburner as summer turns to fall with the Blue Jays (55-41), Yankees (53-43), Red Sox (53-45) and Rays (50-47) all in the mix. Even the last-place Orioles aren't completely out of it yet, sitting at 43-52 which is 11 1/2 games out of first place. Trivia Answer Rafael Devers (217), Ronald Acuna Jr. (177), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (172) are two through four. Yordan Alvarez and Austin Riley are tied for fifth at 167. Cody Bellinger has 212 homers but turned 30 on Sunday. ___ AP MLB: recommended Item 1 of 3
