Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Tommy John surgery recommended for Mariners' James Paxton

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 4/8/21

It appears that James Paxton's second stint with the Seattle Mariners may not officially last more than 24 pitches.

MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted on Thursday that Tommy John surgery has been recommended for the southpaw after he suffered a setback in Tuesday's outing against the Chicago White Sox:

Tommy John surgery has been recommended for James Paxton. Would miss the year snd be back in 2022.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) April 8, 2021

As Daniel Guerrero noted for the official MLB website, the Mariners had already placed the 32-year-old on the 10-day injured list with a strained left forearm after he failed to complete two full innings of work against Chicago.

Somewhat ironically, Paxton suffered a similar injury last summer while with the New York Yankees but was able to avoid the dreaded Tommy John surgery at that time. In five appearances with the Yankees during the pandemic-shortened season, he tallied a 6.64 ERA and a 1-1 record.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Paxton joined the Mariners via a one-year contract worth $8.5 million plus incentives in February. It typically takes pitchers at least 12 months to fully recover from the operation, meaning the man affectionately known as "Big Maple" may not be ready for Opening Day 2022.

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