Houck may not be able to pitch in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Twins, as he threw in an alternate-site game against the Mets on Saturday, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

EDGE Analysis

The doubleheader could potentially have been an opportunity for Houck -- who struck out eight while allowing just two earned runs over five innings in his first start of the season -- to make another start, but the timing doesn't seem to line up. He was optioned to the alternate site last Wednesday, and he can only return within 10 days either as the extra man for a doubleheader or to replace someone else who landed on the injured list. That means he also won't be able to make a spot start Thursday unless someone gets hurt.

Houck was optioned to Boston's alternate training site Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck recently moved to the bullpen, and he'll now be sent to the team's alternate camp in Worcester. His removal from the main roster will clear room for Eduardo Rodriguez (arm), who is expected to be activated from the injured list ahead of his scheduled start Thursday. Houck made two appearances (one start) to begin the year and allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out 10 in six innings.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Houck will be available out of the bullpen for Tuesday's game against the Rays, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck's move to the bullpen foreshadows the likely return of Eduardo Rodriguez (dead arm), who is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list to make a start in this weekend's series with Baltimore. The 24-year-old righty had previously filled Rodriguez's first turn through the rotation last week against the Orioles, taking a loss while covering five innings and giving up two earned runs while striking out eight. The strong outing leaves Houck as the next man up if a rotation spot opens up again at some point, but his stay in the big-league bullpen is expected to be a brief one. Cora intimated that Houck will likely be optioned to Triple-A Worcester at some point in the next few days.

Houck (0-1) picked up the loss Saturday against the Orioles despite striking out eight batters in five innings. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk.

EDGE Analysis

Houck struck out a third of the batters he faced in his three-start debut last season and beat that mark Saturday, posting a 36.3 percent strikeout rate. That wasn't enough to help his team to a win, however, as a two-out rally led to a pair of runs in the fourth inning before Anthony Santander singled in another in the fifth. It was an encouraging enough outing overall, but Houck is likely to be sent down soon, with Eduardo Rodriguez (arm) expected to be ready to take his next turn in the rotation.

Houck will head back to Triple-A Worcester once Eduardo Rodriguez (arm) is ready to return to the active roster, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck will take Rodriguez's turn through the rotation Saturday, but it could be his only start for now. Rodriguez threw three innings in a simulated game Friday and is talking about returning April 8. Manager Alex Cora has no plans to go with a six-man rotation, which would include Houck. "We're pitching him tomorrow, then obviously the circumstances will dictate what happens with him in the future. Just give him the ball [Saturday], go five or six (innings), do the things he did in the last (spring training outing) and we'll be happy with that," the manager said. In Houck's final start of spring training, he allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.1 scoreless innings against Atlanta.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Houck will start Saturday's game against the Orioles, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

EDGE Analysis

As anticipated, Houck will be part of the Opening Day rotation after a replacement was needed for Eduardo Rodriguez (dead arm), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday. Considering that Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch a simulated game at Triple-A Worcester on Friday, he wouldn't seem to be at risk at missing more than one or two turns through the rotation. Assuming that's the case, Houck's time with the big club will likely be short-lived.

Houck appears to be lined up to start the second game of the season Saturday against Baltimore, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck was optioned in mid-March, but the Red Sox may need a spot starter right away as Eduardo Rodriguez has been held back by arm fatigue. The team hasn't made a final decision about whether or not Rodriguez will open the year on the injured list, but they seem to be leaning that way. Houck makes for an interesting streaming option given that he'll be facing a weak offense and showed plenty of potential in his three-start debut last year, striking out 21 batters in 17 innings while allowing just one earned run.

Houck allowed two hits and one walk while striking out six over 4.1 scoreless innings in Monday's spring game against Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Houck, who was optioned to minor-league camp two weeks ago, may have been motivated by the news that he could open the regular season in Boston's rotation. He's had encouraging outings, like Monday's, along with a pair of walk-fests in which he permitted nine free passes in 3.1 innings. Those command issues led to his demotion, but circumstances have changed for the young right-hander. Eduardo Rodriguez's dead arm scratched him from an Opening Day nod while projected starter Garrett Richards and swingman Matt Andriese were quarantining. Now that Matt Barnes' positive result for COVID has been deemed a false positive, both Richards and Andriese are back with the team. If Richards is ready to go for his projected start Saturday, the possibility exists that Houck could take Rodriguez's first turn through the rotation.

Houck remains in contention to open the season as a member of the Red Sox rotation, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck appeared set to begin the season in the minors after he was optioned March 17, but the complexion of Boston's rotation has changed dramatically since then. Eduardo Rodriguez is working through a dead-arm phase that will prevent him from being available for Boston's season-opening series with the Orioles this weekend, while projected No. 3 starter Garrett Richards' status is uncertain while he's believed to be away from the team due to COVID-19-related concerns. Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez are scheduled to start two of the Red Sox's three games with Baltimore, but Houck -- who is pitching in Monday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta -- is tentatively lined up to start Saturday versus the Orioles.

Houck was optioned to Boston's alternate training site Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houck was competing for a back-end rotation spot during spring training, but manager Alex Cora named his five-man rotation Tuesday. Houck wasn't included among the starters, and he should begin the year with Triple-A Worcester. The right-hander made three appearances (one start) this spring and allowed six runs on six hits and 10 walks while striking out four over 6.1 innings.