Surging Red Sox Starter Likely To Miss Significant Time Due To Facial Surgery

More bad news for the Boston rotation

The Boston Red Sox will have to battle without one of their top young arms due to an unfortunate incident that took place against the New York Yankees.

After a horrific line drive came shooting back at the Red Sox starting pitcher, he's expected to go under the knife. 

"Tanner Houck will undergo surgery to put a plate in his cheek," The Boston Globe's Alex Speier tweeted Tuesday. "But Alex Cora said Houck is definitely expected back this year. No known timetable for a return, however."

The injury was sustained after a ball was hit by Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka drilled a sinker directly back toward the righty. 

Prior to his injury, Houck had a 5.05 ERA, a 64-to-23 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .243 batting average against and a 1.26 WHIP in 67 2/3 innings pitched across 13 games. 

A positive, however, is that Cora said "(a facial plate) is actually good news and 'best case scenario" MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported. 

A quick Google search would tell you that returning to play after a facial fracture could take six weeks, but the Red Sox have not made any announcements on Houck's return and these types of injuries can vary. Chris Bassitt had a similar injury a season ago and returned after only a month. 

As of now, no further updates have been provided and his surgery is scheduled for next week. 

For the Red Sox, a 9-3 win last night was the start of a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins. First pitch of Game 2 is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET from Target Field.

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