Houck was reinstated from the restricted list Thursday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck will return to the team following their series in Toronto, which he was unavailable for because of his vaccination status. He'll return to manning the backend of the Red Sox bullpen as the team starts a series against the Cubs on Friday.

The Red Sox placed Houck (personal) on the restricted list Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Houck's placement on the list was fully expected, as he was previously inactive for the Red Sox's series in Toronto in late April due to his vaccination status. Since Houck remains unvaccinated two months later, he won't be eligible to cross the Canadian border and will be unavailable for the entire three-game series in Toronto. John Schreiber and Matt Strahm look like the top options to pick up saves before Houck returns to the fold for the Red Sox's three-game series against the Cubs this weekend.

The Red Sox are expected to place Houck on the restricted list prior to Monday's series opener in Toronto, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

Because he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, Houck won't be eligible to cross the Canadian border and will miss the Red Sox's second series of the season in Toronto after he was previously unavailable for the four-game set at Rogers Centre in late April. While the team is in Canada, Houck will throw a live batting practice session in Boston to stay sharp before he's eligible to rejoin the Red Sox in Chicago for their series with the Cubs that begins Friday. Houck has emerged as Boston's preferred option at closer over the past three weeks, but John Schreiber and Matt Strahm will likely represent the best bets to pick up save chances during the Toronto series.

Houck earned the save against the Guardians on Saturday with a perfect inning of work.

EDGE Analysis

Houck needed only seven pitches -- six of which were strikes -- to set the side down in order in the ninth inning. For the first time in 10 contests, the right-hander failed to record a strikeout, but that's of little concern given the results. Houck has notched a save in six of his past seven appearances and has gained a stranglehold on Boston's closer role with a 1.69 ERA and 14:1 K:BB over 10.2 innings since the start of June.

Houck allowed one run on three hits while striking out two over the ninth inning of Friday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.

EDGE Analysis

With the Red Sox leading 5-2 to start the ninth inning, Houck was warming up for a potential save but didn't get the opportunity after Boston plated a run in the top half of the frame. Houck is set to miss the three-game series in Toronto that begins Monday, so the Red Sox may get him work this weekend regardless of the situation to keep him fresh.

Houck will not make the trip to Toronto for next week's three-game series against the Blue Jays due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports. The series runs from Monday to Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Houck has evolved into the role as Boston's closer, but manager Alex Cora will have to get creative if the Red Sox need a save during the series. The right-hander opened the season as part of Boston's rotation but was moved to the bullpen, ironically, after he didn't make the team's first trip to Canada in April. Since then, Houck has been a Swiss army knife out of the bullpen and eventually settled in as the best ninth-inning option.

Houck allowed one hit in a scoreless frame against the Tigers on Monday. He struck out one batter and earned a save.

EDGE Analysis

Houck coughed up a one-out single to Spencer Torkelson but had no issue closing out the 5-2 win over Detroit. He's earned a save in five straight outings, allowing one run on five hits over 3.2 frames during that span. The 25-year-old is sporting a 3.45 ERA as he looks to have a solid hold on the closer role in Boston.

Houck earned a save against the Cardinals on Sunday. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter.

EDGE Analysis

Boston held a 6-1 lead in the ninth, but after a three-run homer from Juan Yepez, Houck was needed to record the final out. He coughed up an infield hit to Tommy Edman before striking out Brendan Donovan to finish off the contest. Houck has picked up a save in each of his last four outings and has lowered his ERA to 3.53 through 43.1 frames.

Houck gave up a run on two hits with one strikeout in one-third of an inning Friday to record his third save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Boston led 6-1 heading into the ninth inning, but after Austin Davis made a mess of things with two outs, Houck got the call and barely escaped the jam, serving up back-to-back doubles to Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan before finally striking out Paul Goldschmidt. Houck has converted three straight save chances since being moved into a high-leverage relief role, while Friday's run was the first on his ledger since May 15. Out of the bullpen this season, the right-hander has a 3.08 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB through 26.1 innings, and he may be the guy to bring some stability to the Red Sox closing picture.

Houck saved Sunday's 2-0 win against the Mariners, striking out one in a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

EDGE Analysis

Houck needed just eight pitches to notch his second save in as many appearances and is primed to receive more opportunities ahead with fellow closer Hansel Robles blown save Saturday. The 25-year-old has fired 16 scoreless innings across his eight appearances -- all in relief -- with 16 strikeouts and four walks in the span. Houck's lowered his seasonal ERA from 5.40 to 3.38 with the impressive stretch and should continue to see a high-leverage role in Boston's bullpen.