Role
Tanner Houck had Tommy John surgery after his forearm trouble in 2025 and spent almost all of 2026 rehabbing. He began a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Sept. 8, moved up to Worcester, and was activated for one start against the Cubs on Sept. 27 (three innings, three runs). MLB.com's Ian Browne wrote that his realistic path back is as a reliever, and that's where we expect him in 2027.
Outlook
Before the elbow gave out he was an All-Star. In 2024 he had a 3.12 ERA over 30 starts and 178.2 innings. He fell apart in 2025 (8.04 ERA in nine starts) before the flexor pronator strain that led to surgery. He has done the bullpen job before, with eight saves and a 3.15 ERA in 32 games in 2022. In September he told MLB.com that the splitter "has been leaps and bounds better than what I could have imagined to this point," and that he was reworking the grip on his sweeper.
Our take: forget the rotation for now. A healthy Houck with a sinker, a sweeper, and a better splitter could be a real weapon in short bursts. If the arm holds up through spring, he's pitching the seventh or eighth inning by June.