Red Sox Pitcher Tanner Houck Needs Surgery After Facial Fracture

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck won't able to avoid surgery after taking a line drive off the face last Friday.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters prior to Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Twins that Houck will undergo surgery after sustaining a facial fracture and will have a plate inserted into his cheek, per The Boston Globe's Alex Speier and MassLive's Chris Cotillo.

There is no timetable for the return of the right-hander, who was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday. Cora said it is expected Houck will pitch again this season, per Speier.

According to Cotillo, Cora said surgery was the "best case scenario" for Houck after the scary incident.

Cora already believed Houck got "lucky" with how everything played out and his injury not being more serious. After being struck by the liner, Houck went to the ground and had blood pouring from his face. The 26-year-old was helped off the field by the training staff and then taken to the hospital.

Houck turned into a serviceable arm for the Red Sox in his first season as a full-time starter. He holds a a 3-6 record with a 5.05 ERA, 1.26 WHIP to go along with 64 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings.

With Houck sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Red Sox will need to find a replacement for him in the rotation, starting with Thursday's series finale against the Twins. Boston signed a veteran pitcher Monday, but it doesn't appear he will get the starting nod for that contest.