Red Sox’ James Paxton set to make first MLB start in over two years
Injuries have limited Paxton to just six total starts since the 2020 season.
After signing with the Red Sox back in December 2021, James Paxton will finally make his debut on the mound for Boston later this week.
Alex Cora announced Tuesday that the veteran lefty will start for the Sox on Friday night against the Cardinals, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. It will mark Paxton’s first MLB start since April 6, 2021.
The 34-year-old southpaw was one of the more underrated pitchers in the game for some time. From 2017-19 with the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees, Paxton went 38-17 over 81 starts, posting a 3.54 ERA and 550 strikeouts over 447 innings of work.
But injuries derailed Paxton’s career, with the hurler sidelined due to Tommy John surgery back in April 2021. He has made only six total starts since the beginning of the 2020 campaign.
Boston signed Paxton to a one-year contract before the 2022 season, with the Red Sox hoping that he’d be available for the stretch run ahead of a potential playoff push.
Neither scenario played out for both player and team. While rehabbing back from his season-ending procedure, Paxton suffered a Grade 2 lat tear in August 2022 and was ruled out for the remainder of the year.
Ultimately, Paxton opted to return to Boston on a player option in 2023 following his latest setback.
In spring training, Paxton strained his right hamstring in his first outing down in Florida. He did not pitch again until beginning a rehab assignment with the Worcester Red Sox.
Over his six starts against Triple-A competition, Paxton went 2-3 with a 6.23 ERA. His latest outing with Worcester was a step in the right direction, allowing two runs and striking out four batters over five innings of work on Friday against the Buffalo Bisons.
With Paxton activated, it remains to be seen how Cora reshuffles Boston’s starting rotation. Boston now has six viable starters in place on the major-league roster in Paxton, Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Tanner Houck, Nick Pivetta, and Brayan Bello.
For now, it doesn’t seem like a functioning six-man rotation will be in the cards for the Red Sox.
“Yeah, we can go six, but with the off days, you see it. Tanner pitched Sunday and then he’s pitching Monday,” Cora told Cotillo. “It’s great that we are able to take care of the guys, especially Chris Sale and Corey but at the same time, I know they want their repetitions. That’s something we have to take into consideration.”
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