Red Sox Get Disastrous News From James Paxton Rehab Start

Boston Red Sox fans were excited when it was revealed that James Paxton would make his first rehab start on Thursday after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's appearance didn't even come close to going as planned, resulting in disastrous news for the Red Sox.

Sox Prospects first reported that Paxton was pulled from Thursday's Florida Complex League start after facing only two batters. While the injury was initially up in the air, Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo later added that the veteran left made his exit due to lat tightness.

James Paxton Injury Update

On one hand, Red Sox fans are breathing a sigh of relief since Paxton didn't re-aggravate his left elbow. On the other, another injury makes it less probable that the Canadian hurler will pitch this season.

This unfortunate news comes just over a week after Chris Sale underwent season-ending wrist surgery. Along with Paxton, Sale was expected to be a key part of Boston's rotation, however, he only pitched 5.2 innings over two games before his 2022 campaign came to an abrupt end.

It remains to be seen if the Red Sox will bring Paxton back next year. His contract includes team options in both 2023 and 2024, so there's no guarantee that he'll be brought back if the Red Sox don't think he's worth $10 million annual after appearing in just six MLB games since the beginning of 2019.

Hopefully, his latest run-in with the injury bug won't leave him on the shelf for too long. Paxton is a solid pitcher when healthy and the Red Sox could use him turning back the clock to help them go on a World Series run in 2023.

Red Sox World Series Odds

Without the likes of Sale and Paxton, the Red Sox have become 2022 World Series betting afterthoughts. For now, Boston is available at an underwhelming +20000 odds (T-No. 17) to win this fall's championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.