A significant weakness for the Red Sox in 2020 has the chance to be a strength for Boston this season.
The Red Sox are in a much more desirable spot with their strike depth in 2021 than last year. So much was made clear on Wednesday when Boston elected promising young right-hand man Tanner Houck. Houck was sharp in his first start of the campaign and made a contribution in Tuesday’s extra-innings win over the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Red Sox had to create a position for Eduardo Rodriguez, who starts Thursday.
Chaim Bloom could not help but notice the irony when the club elected Houck, who according to the Red Sox baseball official is still an important part of Boston’s plans.
“It’s really about depth,” Bloom said Thursday on “The Greg Hill Show,” as transcribed by WEEI. ‘It’s actually quite funny to me. Last year we went through a summer where we certainly did not have as many competent entrees as places. Now we feel we have more, and so should we. This is not a problem at all. This is what champion teams need to have and from my point of view we need to build even more depth. Sometimes it will lead to someone who is going to perform really well having to go back and wait for another chance to contribute.
‘But the chance is going to be there. He’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing this summer. We also have a lot of confidence in the other five guys. We feel it is best to keep everyone going and keep everyone in their starting roles. But make no mistake, Tanner Houck is going to be a big part of what we accomplish this year. ”
Bloom also noted that Houck accepts his Worcester assignment ‘wonderfully’. The manager, Alex Cora, said on Wednesday that all Houck has to do at the Red Sox’s alternative training center is to ‘keep working at his trade’ and be prepared for the next opportunity.
As for Houck’s replacement in the big league series, the series in Boston against the Orioles in Baltimore will be the first time Rodriguez has started since September 2019. NESN will fully cover the US League East game, with a preview action starting at 14:00 ET. and the first pitch follows at 15:05
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