Rising Young Red Sox Stud Reportedly Could Miss Significant Time After Undergoing Surgery

Boston reportedly will be without one of its starters for at least a month

The Boston Red Sox could use another starting pitcher sooner rather than later. 

Boston's starting rotation has dealt with a plethora of injuries so far this season. The Red Sox began the 2023 campaign with Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, and James Paxton all on the injured list as they dealt with various injuries. All three are back in the rotation for Boston, but throughout the season, the club also has lost Chris Sale and Tanner Houck to injuries of their own. 

Sale currently is on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation and at this time there's no way to know when he will return. Houck is the most recent Boston starter to go down with an injury after being struck in the face with a line drive against the New York Yankees on June 16 and reportedly could be out until August, according to MassLive.com's Sean McAdam. 

"On Tuesday night, the Red Sox announced that Houck had undergone “a successful open reduction and internal fixation of a right orbito-zygomatico-maxillary complex (OZMC) fracture,” McAdam said. "Manager Alex Cora said Houck had a “tiny plate” inserted into his right cheekbone. The procedure we performed by Dr. Branko Bojovic at Massachusetts General Hospital.

"Cora said a timetable for a return to action would be revealed later in the week, or early next week, but an industry source said it was unlikely Houck would rejoin the rotation before August."

On the bright side, Houck is okay and on the mend after what initially was a very scary injury. Luckily the baseball struck Houck on the cheek and didn't hit anywhere else on his face. The fact that he will be back with Boston this season certainly is positive as well. 

Houck earned a role in the Boston starting rotation this season with his play and was in a solid groove before the injury. Boston's depth is being tested right now with Sale and Houck both out and throughout the month of July. The club will have some decisions to make whether it wants to roll with bullpen games, move Nick Pivetta or Corey Kluber back to the rotation, call someone up from the minor leagues, or even make an addition. 

Boston currently is 40-40 on the season and three and a half games back of an American League Wild Card spot. If the club wants to make a run at a postseason spot, it likely will need to upgrade its rotation quickly. Hopefully, Houck can return as scheduled and return to form as the club looks to make up some ground.

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