Mariners LHP James Paxton to undergo season-ending surgery

SEATTLE — Mariners left-handed pitcher James Paxton’s 2021 season is over basically as soon as it began.

During Mariners manager Scott Servais’ pre-game press conference Tuesday, he announced that the southpaw will undergo surgery that will end his season.

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Paxton, 32, returned to the Mariners this offseason on a one-year deal after spending 2019 and 2020 with the New York Yankees. Seattle shipped Paxton to New York after the 2018 season as part of the team’s rebuild in a trade that brought three prospects to the Mariners, including starting pitcher Justus Sheffield.

After two fantastic spring training starts in which Paxton recorded 17 of his 25 outs via strikeout, expectations were high for the big lefty in 2021. Instead, Paxton’s first start of the season against the Chicago White Sox lasted only 24 pitches before he had to be removed from the game in the second inning.

The injury was initially listed as left elbow discomfort, but after the start, Paxton said it was his forearm that was hurt.

Paxton soon underwent an MRI and was placed on the 10-day injured list, but he and the team wanted a second opinion for the injury, which delayed the announcement that Paxton will miss the rest of the season until Tuesday.

Servais didn’t specify what exact surgery Paxton will undergo, but Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported last week that Paxton has been recommended for Tommy John surgery, which would repair a torn UCL in his left elbow and cause him to miss the rest of the season and potentially some of 2022.

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