Red Sox shut down Tanner Houck, prospect Brandon Walter out for the remainder of the season
Red Sox closer Tanner Houck has been dealing with a disc issue in his lower back for the last few weeks. Houck has been on the injured list since Aug. 10th which was retroactive to Aug. 21, however it appears his season is in jeopardy.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters today that Houck has been shutdown and there’s “a good chance” he will miss the rest of the season.
Houck is 5-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 60 innings (32 appearances) with eight saves in nine opportunities.
Brandon Walter out for the season
The Red Sox also learned that left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Walter is done for the season. The Red Sox placed Walter on the injured list with a neck strain.
In an interview with The Athletic, Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham spoke about the extent of his injury.
“It’s a little more complicated in terms of exactly what he’s dealing with. It’s (also) a back issue — obviously they’re all correlated. He’s been doing some light physical activity. He’s been checked out by some doctors. He’s going to miss the rest of the season, obviously, but we’re hopeful he’s going to have a normal off-season ramp-up to be ready for next year. Without getting into too many specifics, it’s a neck strain that has turned into a little bit more of a back issue — a bulging disc is actually what we’re talking about here. We’re just kind of working our way through that,” said Abraham.
Walter made 11 starts this season posting a 3-3 record with a 3.59 ERA, 75 strikeouts, 0.90 WHIP in 57 2/3 innings.
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