LOS ANGELES — Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy didn’t have much in the way of injury updates on Saturday, but he did share an interesting update on the progress Tanner Houck has made in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander has apparently been quite busy in Fort Myers.

“Tanner continues to throw multiple pens a week, I looked at our internal thing yesterday and he threw 40-something pitches the other day,” Tracy said. “So he keeps progressing in a really good direction.”

Houck is much further along in his recovery than fellow injured right-handers Kutter Crawford and Johan Oviedo, who have missed essentially the entire season. Crawford hasn’t pitched since 2024 due to a series of injuries, most recently some right flexor tendon irritation, and Oviedo made only one appearance on March 30 before going down with a right flexor strain.

Tracy said Crawford is still “hit or miss” with his throwing program and Oviedo is throwing up to 120 feet off flat ground, but Houck is nearing a point where he could start a rehab assignment before the end of the season.

“That’s possible,” Tracy said. “Let’s say it this way, he’s getting closer to the point where the next logical thing is he should be facing hitters. Because he’s doing multiple pens a week, now whether that starts as a live (batting practice) or if we send him out, we have to figure that out but he’s at least creeping towards that direction.”

Houck hasn’t pitched in the majors since May 12, 2025, when he endured his second 11-run blowup in less than a month. There had been signs that something was amiss since the start of spring training, but prior to that Houck enjoyed the best season of his career in 2024, posting a 3.12 ERA over 178 2/3 innings while earning All-Star honors.

Could Houck still make an impact on this year’s club? Tracy said Houck still has a lot of boxes to check, but he’s progressed to a point where he’s back on the big league club’s radar.

“It’s feasible if he’s able to get back that you’d look at that and say — plus with his history of what he’s done before, that, if he’s right, that guy could help you. So we’re certainly keeping an eye on that one,” Tracy said. “It’s got to get closer and get into sight before you feel like you can start factoring that in, but that’s one that’s in the mirror now, at least you can see it.”