Emerson Hancock failed to get out of the first inning in his 2025 debut versus the Detroit Tigers back on March 31. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits, walked a batter, served up a long ball, and did not record a strikeout. It was a bad outing, no question, despite some bad luck on the back side of it.
Since then, the right-hander has responded. First, with two strong starts for Triple-A Tacoma — 9.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 12 SO — and now two quality outings back in the big leagues where he’s combined for 11 innings, 10 hits, four earned runs, two walks and 11 punchouts. One of those came in Game 2 of the series in Boston when Hancock struck out seven over six strong innings at Fenway Park.
It’s worth noting Hancock was solid last season in a back-end, fill-in role, first in place of Bryan Woo through the first week of May, then to close out the season for the injured Luis Castillo. He got through five innings or more in 9 of his 12 starts, went six or more in four of them, and allowed three runs or fewer in 10.
The start versus the Tigers is the outlier, but can Hancock be more than just a serviceable No. 4/5 starter?
