One year ago, one thing was clear about the state of the Boston Red Sox's rotation: Tanner Houck was the only player who locked into a spot for 2025.
What a difference a year makes. Brayan Bello has emerged as a mid-rotation arm with upside, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle, and Kyle Harrison have formed a trio of intriguing southpaws, and Garrett Crochet appears to be the next in a long line of left-handed Red Sox aces.
Houck's future in Boston is anything but secure. After making his first All-Star team in 2024, Houck regressed in the worst possible way, firing off a disastrous 8.04 ERA in 43 2/3 innings (nine starts). Everything looked off, and a short-term stay on the injured list for elbow troubles devolved into a Tommy John surgery that will likely keep the right-hander out through the 2026 season.
Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Bleacher Report named Houck as the "worst" player on the Red Sox this seaosn.
Houck, who was worth -1.4 bWAR and -0.3 fWAR in his limited duty this year, never really got a fair shot to prove himself, allowing 22 of his 39 earned runs in just two of his starts.
Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck named team's 'worst' player of the year by Bleacher Report
Still, there's no denying how difficult it was to watch him pitch in 2025, as the Red Sox went just 2-7 in his nine starts.
"[Houck] was their lone All-Star on the mound last year with a 3.12 ERA in 30 starts, projected by FanGraphs to be the 10th-best pitcher in the American League this year. Instead, he made just nine starts — twice posting a calamitous line of 2.1 IP, 11 ER — and underwent Tommy John surgery late enough in the year that he may well miss all of 2026, too," Bleacher Report writer Kerry Miller said.
At 29 years old, Houck may not pitch again until he's near his 31st birthday. Considering how badly he's struggled with finding a reliable fastball over the years, there's no guarantee he'll age well coming off such a serious elbow injury.
With just two years remaining on his contract — both via arbitration — Houck's value is at a nadir. Even if returns in time for Opening Day in 2027, whatever he makes next year will essentially be dead money as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
It's certainly not his fault that this injury happened, and his 2024 form offers at least a glimmer of hope that he can get back to being a frontline starting pitcher. His rehab will be grueling, but he's got the talent to emerge all the better from it.
The question is simply whether or not the Red Sox — who are loaded with young pitchers trickling up the minor league ranks — want to be the team to wait that process out. For now, Houck will have to use his status as the team's last valuable player in 2025 as motivation in his recovery.