Twelve pitchers. That's what the Boston Red Sox need to whittle down to by Tuesday in the Bronx, and there's no room in that group of 12 for a question mark.
On Sunday, as the Red Sox finished up the regular season, they were greeted with an onslaught of pitching question marks. Trusted reliever Tyron Guerrero went to the injured list, a serious blow. They recalled Wyatt Olds to take a spot in the bullpen. And for his first major league appearance in 15 months, they activated Tanner Houck from the 60-day injured list.
Houck is a former All-Star who has one of the longest tenures of anyone on the pitching staff. But after starting the game against the Chicago Cubs and showing as poorly as he did on Sunday, Houck also does not warrant a spot on the postseason roster at this point, plain and simple.
Sep 27, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck (89) delivers a pitch during the first inning against Chicago Cubs at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
In Houck's three innings against the Cubs, he allowed four hits, including two home runs to Alex Bregman , and three earned runs. He struck out only one batter, walked none, and threw 50 pitches on the afternoon.
It's just not clear what role Houck is ready to play, coming off such a long layoff, a surgery, and a 2025 season in which he was downright dismal. In a three-game series against the arch-rival New York Yankees , there's a premium on relief options, especially with Guerrero down, and it's hard to imagine Houck falls inside the top eight or nine of those options.
There's also the matter of Garrett Crochet , the Red Sox's other injured starting pitcher. Crochet last pitched on April 25, but he's a true ace when healthy, and it seems as though he's going to be ready to get a few outs from the bullpen this week if called upon.
Here are the 12 pitchers we'd project the Red Sox would have instead of Houck heading into next week:
Payton Tolle
Sonny Gray
Ranger Surez
Jake Bennett
Brayan Bello
Aroldis Chapman
Garrett Whitlock
Erik Miller
Jovani Morn
Greg Weissert
Alec Gamboa
Garrett Crochet (Wyatt Olds replaces if not healthy)
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/red-sox/onsi as Red Sox Need to Leave This Former All-Star Off Playoff Roster .
