Tanner Houck impressed during his time with the Boston Red Sox last season, and has been rebounding well in Worcester from his flexor strain injury.
But could the pitcher be en route to Boston sooner rather than later?
It's a valid question, especially considering when Alex Cora revealed his plans for the starting rotation post All-Star break, he did not mention Garrett Richards.
Richards has struggled mightily in his last few starts. The Red Sox pitcher has attributed some struggles to not being able to use sunscreen due to Major League Baseball's crackdown on foreign substances. Richards has developed a new pitch and has dumped his arm in a bucket of ice between innings in order to try to better himself.
But the struggles continued.
Prior to the Red Sox's middle game against the Los Angeles Angels, Cora was asked about the rotation plans after next week's All-Star break. He said it will go Eduardo Rodriguez, MartÃn Pérez, Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta.
So, does that mean Houck has a spot waiting for him?
"Those conversations are going (on)," Cora told reporters over Zoom. "Actually, we have a meeting in half hour to go over a few things roster-wise and all star break and rotation. He feels good. Everything went well in the last one. As you guys know he's gonna be part of this (team) at one point. How soon? We don't know yet. He's important for us and he will contribute."
We're not mind readers, but it certainly sounds as if Houck will be in the rotation in the near future.
