Tanner Houck Shut Down with Sore Flexor Muscle…Uh Oh!

The Boston Red Sox are rolling right now. They are the first team in the MLB to reach 20 wins. They are on top of the American League East and American League in general with a 21-13 record. The offense looks really good. The pitching as a whole has been holding their own. But one pitcher might be sidelined for a short period of time. Tanner Houck is on the IL now with a sore flexor muscle.

Tanner Houck has a sore flexor muscle and is going to be shut down for now. The Red Sox are not overly concerned about it, but they're trying to be careful with him.

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) May 9, 2021

So obviously, this news isn’t the best to hear on a Sunday morning. But let’s take a look at a few aspects here.

Could Houck be Heading Down a Chris Sale Path?

So here’s the thing. Tanner Houck has a lot of similarities to Red Sox ace Chris Sale. They’re both very tall guys, very lanky, funky arm slot. Could this also mean the injuries are the same? We’ve seen what has happened with Chris Sale, especially the last two seasons. We see that Jen McCaffery says that the Red Sox aren’t overly concerned right now. But could that feeling go away if Houck misses more time than originally expected?

There’s No Timetable for His Return

This is the part that scares me the most. There isn’t a timetable for when Houck is scheduled to come back. Could it be an injury that lasts a week and only requires rest? Maybe. But could it also be an injury that lags on and we don’t see Houck for quite some time? Also maybe. I don’t know man. I need specific dates to feel more comfortable about this.

In Conclusion

Hopefully, this is an injury that is resolved quickly for Houck. He is exciting to watch with his fastball-slider combination. Sore muscles are tough to monitor and know when it is completely healed. For now, just hope and pray that Houck takes care of himself and is back to throwing by next week.

–Al Nahigian (@BigAl2793)