Alex Cora: James Paxton a ‘long shot’ to return this season with torn calf
"That’s basically where we’re at. Up against the clock.”
One of the Red Sox’ trade-deadline pickups likely isn’t returning to the pitcher’s mound again this season.
After exiting Sunday’s game against the Astros in the first inning due to a lower-leg injury, veteran southpaw James Paxton received the bad news following MRI imaging — with the starter announcing Tuesday that he suffered a partial tear of his right calf.
“It’s a partial tear, so it’s not minor,” Paxton said ahead of Boston’s home game against the Rangers, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “It’s a decent tear. I think it’s going to take a little bit of time. It’s going to cut it pretty close towards the end. I’ll do whatever I can to recover as quickly as possible and see if there’s any time left. That’s basically where we’re at. Up against the clock.”
At this point, time isn’t exactly on Paxton and the Red Sox’ side. Boston entered Tuesday night with just 45 games remaining in the regular season — giving the lefty little leeway when it comes to returning from a muscle tear.
“I think right away, he had a pretty good idea what was going on. We’ll see where we’re at in a few weeks. Just stay the course, get the rehab going and hopefully, he can contribute. But that looks like a long shot,” Alex Cora said of Paxton’s potential return in September.
Tuesday’s news stands as a significant setback for a Red Sox rotation that could have used a veteran like Paxton for the final stretch of the regular season.
Boston reacquired Paxton via trade from the Dodgers for minor league infielder Moises Bolivar ahead of MLB’s July 30 deadline — with the 35-year-old going 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA over three appearances with the Red Sox this season.
On Sunday, Paxton exited the game after just five pitches while trying to cover first base on a ground ball play against the Astros. This could mark yet another season cut short due to injury for Paxton, who has only made 46 total starts over the past five seasons.
“I had a feeling it wasn’t anything minor,” Paxton said. “It was pretty intense pain there for the first little bit. I didn’t think it was a minor something. I’m glad it wasn’t the achilles or something not completely torn. The doc said, ‘You’re going to recover from this, it’s just going to take a little bit of time.’ Time is something we don’t have a whole lot of right now but I’ll do whatever I can to get back as quickly as possible.”
“It sucks. I was really excited to be here and be a part of what we’ve got going on here and fighting to be in the postseason. It would have been a lot of fun to be out there with the guys. It hurts to not be able to do what I want to do.”
With Paxton sidelined with his calf injury, Cora added that Cooper Criswell is expected to slot back into Boston’s rotation alongside Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello, and Nick Pivetta.
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