There’s a long road ahead of injured Red Sox starter Tanner Houck.

But Houck’s road back from Tommy John surgery will come with a vote of confidence of sorts from the Red Sox, as the sides avoided arbitration and came together on a 2026 contract that will pay Houck a $4.15 million salary. The salary is actually a raise from Houck’s 2025 salary, which checked in at $3.95 million.

On the hill for nine starts this past season, Houck struggled to the tune of an 0-3 record, 8.04 ERA, and had batters hitting .318 off of him with 57 hits and 10 home runs allowed over just 43.2 innings of work. The Red Sox put him on the injured list and later assigned him down to the minors in an attempt to get his game right, but that didn’t work either (he was torched for 10 runs in 10.2 innings in Triple-A Worcester) before the team ultimately revealed in August that Houck would need season-ending surgery.

Given the timeline of his surgery, it’s highly unlikely that the Red Sox will see Houck back on the mound for the club during the 2026 MLB season.

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 14: Tanner Houck #89 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning of game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park on September 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 14: Tanner Houck #89 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning of game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park on September 14, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

The decision to keep Houck around (and give him a raise despite knowing that he’s unlikely to pitch this upcoming season) could be viewed as a good faith move of sorts from Craig Breslow and the Sox. But it also feels like the club still believes in what a healthy Houck, who was an All Star for the club in 2024, could bring to their team.

The Red Sox also feel no pressure to rush Houck back — not that you would with a player coming off Tommy John, anyway — for 2026 following the offseason additions of both Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo. In addition to their offseason additions to the rotation, the Red Sox also have Payton Tolle and Connelly Early in the mix for a spot in their rotation, while both Kutter Crawford (knee, wrist) and Patrick Sandoval (Tommy John surgery) also figure to be back in Boston’s plans after missing all of last season.

Houck has another arbitration year to his name following the 2026 season, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Red Sox view him and his role if and when he gets healthy. While Houck was an All Star as a starter, he does have experience coming out of the bullpen, most notably making eight saves (on nine tries) for the Red Sox in 2022.

The 6-foot-5 Houck has spent his entire MLB career with Boston, having posted a 24-32 record with a 3.97 ERA, along with 449 strikeouts (8.5 strikeouts per nine innings) and 3.72 FIP, in 113 total games (80 starts) with Boston. 

Houck, for what it’s worth, is also the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox now, having been with the club since the 2020 season.