Red Sox Facing $14 Million Decision After Season-Ending Injury News

Red Sox Facing $14 Million Decision After Season-Ending Injury News originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Boston Red Sox are sitting in third place in a competitive American League East despite being nine games over .500 at 60–51, trailing both the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays.

Boston bolstered its pitching staff at the trade deadline, acquiring right-handed flamethrower Dustin May from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for prospect James Tibbs, attempting to reinforce a rotation that has been decimated by injuries.

One of the most notable injuries has been to Boston’s 2017 first-round draft pick, Tanner Houck, who has been on the injured list since May 14 (retroactive to May 13) with a right flexor pronator strain.

Before going down, Houck was struggling to recapture the All-Star form he showed in 2024, when he was one of Boston’s most reliable arms over 30 starts.

That season, he posted a 9–10 record with a 3.12 ERA, struck out 154 batters, and allowed the fewest home runs per nine innings in the American League, consistently limiting hard contact.

Tanner Houck Out for the Season

Unfortunately, Houck will not get the opportunity to return to form in 2025. The 29-year-old was transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 31 to make room on the 40-man roster.

Before Saturday’s matchup with the Houston Astros, the Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Houck would undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his season and sidelining him for a significant portion of 2026 as well.

Tanner Houck will undergo Tommy John surgery, Alex Cora says.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 2, 2025

$14 Million Impact for Lucas Giolito

With Houck set to miss the foreseeable future, right-hander Lucas Giolito will now take on an elevated role in Boston’s rotation. The 30-year-old joined the Red Sox during the 2024 offseason but missed the entire 2024 campaign due to a partially torn UCL and flexor strain in his right elbow suffered during spring training, which required surgery.

In his first season pitching for Boston, Giolito has been a serviceable arm at the front end of the rotation. Through 16 starts, he owns a 7–2 record with a 3.80 ERA and 77 strikeouts. Giolito’s contract includes a conditional option for 2026: a $14 million club option if he throws under 140 innings in 2025, and a $19 million mutual option if he surpasses that mark, with a $1.5 million buyout.

Giolito has currently logged 87.2 innings pitched this season, meaning he would need to make roughly 10 more starts averaging five innings per outing to reach the 140-inning threshold. With only 51 games remaining on Boston’s schedule, that mark may be difficult to reach.

Boston will face an important decision this offseason on whether retaining Giolito is worth the cost, especially given his performance and the thinning rotation with Houck expected to miss most of next year as well.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.