Tommy John operation recommended for Mariners’ left-handed James Paxton, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. If Paxton undergoes the procedure, he will miss the rest of this season and at least part of the 2022 campaign.
Paxton began his career with the Mariners, who used a fourth round on him in 2010, but after spending 2013-18 in their uniform, they traded him to the Yankees. But Paxton, 32, returned to Seattle last season in a free agency on a one-time deal worth $ 8.5 million. Unfortunately, the Big Maple on Tuesday left its first (and possibly lonely) start of 2021 due to forearm problems. The Mariners then placed Paxton on the 10-day injured list.
While Paxton has generally beaten well in the majors, as evidenced by his 3.59 ERA / 3.62 SIERA over 137 games (all starts) and 754 2/3 overs, he has suffered several injuries since joining the league in 2013. more than 160 1/3 innings in an individual season, and he scored just 20 1/3 frames last year while dealing with back problems and a bending strain. The Yankees then opted to bring Paxton back, although he drew substantial interest from teams on the open market before returning to the Mariners. It does not look like the reunion will be fruitful for either side.
The Mariners have entered the season with Paxton as an important part of their six-man rotation, but it looks like they will have to make other plans for the rest of the year. At least for now, Nick Margevicius will take Paxton’s place in the starting line-up of the M and supplement Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield, Chris Flexen and Justin Dunn.