Tanner Houck struggled to return to form as the clock ticked down on his rehab assignment. And now we may know why. Houck is currently back in Boston submitting to tests on what appears to be a reoccurrence of the right pronator strain that originally sidelined him back in May. He’ll remain on the IL for the time being and, when and if he does return to health, he’ll be in line for another 30-day rehab assignment in the minors. It’s starting to feel like we won’t see him pitch again this year. (Ian
Browne, MLB.com)
We also won’t see Hunter Dobbins pitch again this year, after the rookie went down with a season-ending ACL tear last week. Yet again, it will be Richard Fitts stepping in to fill the hole in the rotation. Fitts will start for the Sox on Tuesday against the Phillies, following Walker Buehler. Given Houck’s issues, Fitts was always the obvious choice and has looked good at times in the big leagues this year. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Let’s just thank Pedro that Garrett Crochet is still looking strong as he approaches his career-high in innings pitched. The Red Sox are clearly making some effort to minimize his usage, as they pushed his first second-half start to today rather than have him pitch the opening game of the Cubs series. But they won’t be putting any kind of innings limit on him as he looks to finish out his first full and unrestricted season as a starting pitcher. (Tara Sullivan, Boston Globe)
But at lease we have some good injury news in the bullpen. Justin Slaten, Liam Hendriks, and Luis Guerrero are all throwing again following ailments that have kept them on the IL. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
With all of the pitching injuries, it’s no surprise that the Sox are rumored to be in on a number of potential trade targets as the deadline approaches. Reports say that the Sox are looking for a number two starter type, with names like Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen being tossed around in addition to the white whale: Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
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