Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn’t know yet whether pitcher Tanner Houck will need surgery for a facial fracture he suffered when he was hit below the right eye by a line drive by the New York Yankees‘ Kyle Higashioka on Friday.
“He’s going to see the doctor at the end of the week, and then we’ll go from there. I don’t know if surgery is needed or not,” Cora said Sunday morning before Boston faced New York in the opener of a split doubleheader.
Higashioka led off the fifth inning and lined Houck’s 92 mph sinker straight up the middle, hitting the right-hander. Houck, 26, received stitches and was checked at a hospital after he walked off the mound on his own with a towel covering his face.
“As I’m running down the line, I hoped he got at least something on it before it hit him,” Higashioka said Saturday. “It’s just not something you want to see. I hope he’s still doing good. From what I hear from the guys, he’s all right.”
Houck was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday, with the Red Sox recalling right-hander Kaleb Ort from Triple-A Worcester to start the first game Sunday.
Cora said teammate Garrett Whitlock visited Houck.
“He finally got some rest. He’s doing better,” Cora said. “He may stop by later today if he’s feeling better.”
Houck is 3-6 with a 5.05 ERA through 13 starts. He has a 12-15 record with nine saves and a 3.66 ERA in 66 career games (33 starts) with the Red Sox.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.