Red Sox bolster bullpen for stretch run with Tanner Houck

The Boston Red Sox are moving Tanner Houck to the bullpen

We’re in the home stretch as the Boston Red Sox prepare to open their final homestand of the season on Friday. With only 14 games remaining and three off days built into the schedule, manager Alex Cora has the luxury of using a four-man rotation. According to MassLIve’s Christoper Smith, that means Tanner Houck is heading to the bullpen.

Chris Sale has been activated from the COVID-IL to start against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Nick Pivetta and Eduardo Rodriguez will wrap up the series before an off day on Monday. Houck was scheduled for next Wednesday against the New York Mets but Sale would be ready to go on regular rest by that point.

The Red Sox had brought Sale along slowly since his return from Tommy John surgery last month, giving him an extra day of rest between each of his first several starts. Moving to a four-man rotation signals that Cora is ready to take the training wheels off the lefty.

It’s a somewhat surprising move considering Sale hasn’t pitched since September 6 after testing positive for COVID-19. His last outing, which happens to be the only time he’s started on only five days of rest this season, was also his shortest when the Tampa Bay Rays knocked him out in the fourth inning.

The Red Sox enter the day tied with the Toronto Blue Jays with both clubs holding a half-game lead over the New York Yankees for the two Wild Card spots. In a tight race, Boston has no choice but to unleash their ace.

Boston’s bullpen has been ravaged by injuries and COVID-19 in the second half of the season. Red Sox relievers rank 22nd in the majors with a collective 4.60 ERA since the break.

The addition of Houck should help solidify the bullpen. The right-hander has had an encouraging rookie season, posting a 3.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 in 14 games (12 starts).

Houck has performed admirably and has a bright future in this rotation but he’s the clear choice to get bumped to the bullpen. The Red Sox have been hesitant to allow Houck to face an opposing lineup for a third time, preventing him from going deep into games. He’s made it to five innings in only three of his 12 starts. Boston can’t afford to burn out their bullpen heading into the postseason by leaning on them that much every time Houck starts.

In shorter stints out of the bullpen, Houck could develop into a dangerous multi-inning weapon. Paired with Garrett Whitlock, we can envision the middle innings being locked down by the talented rookie arms to build a bridge to the back end of the bullpen.

A deeper bullpen allows Cora the flexibility to mix and match his relievers without having to rely much on the fringe options that he’s been forced to trot out due to a lack of options. Houck can be used in a variety of ways, giving the Red Sox some length out of the bullpen to keep the other arms from getting worn out or shutting down an inning when opponents send a trio of right-handed bats to the plate.

"“Where we’re at right now, I think everything will be on the table,” Cora said. “This guy can give us nine outs like he did in New York early in the season. And he can come in and face a pocket of righties and do his thing on multiple days. So it’s good to have him. It’s good to have Garrett (Whitlock). It’s good to have G-Rich (Garrett Richards). All those three righties who can go multiple innings. But the more we have, the better matchups we’re going to get throughout the rest of the season. And we’ll adjust. We’ll play the game accordingly. Having him is going to help us tremendously in the bullpen.”"

If Houck thrives in this role, Boston will presumably utilize a similar strategy if they manage to advance beyond the Wild Card round. Teams generally don’t need five starters in the postseason so moving Houck to the bullpen now could in part be a way to prepare him for his potential October role.