James Paxton shut down for season with torn lat muscle
BOSTON -- James Paxton's 2022 season is over before ever beginning.
The 33-year-old left-hander has officially been shut down for the season due to a torn lat muscle, Alex Cora announced before Thursday's game at Fenway Park.
Paxton hasn't pitched at all this year, his first in the Red Sox organization, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. While expectations were low with regard to his 2022 contributions when signing with the Red Sox, he did have the potential to return to the field and contribute down the stretch.
To that end, he was pitching in a rehab start for the Florida Coast League Red Sox last week when he suffered the injury after just two-thirds of an inning.
Paxton signed a one-year deal with Boston last November, a deal that includes club options for 2023 and 2024 and a player option for 2023.
After making 29 starts for the Yankees in 2019, Paxton made just five starts in 2020 and one start in 2021 before undergoing surgery.
