Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton has been advised to have season-ending Tommy John surgery, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Paxton exited during the second inning against the White Sox on April 6 with left elbow discomfort after throwing just 24 pitches in his 2021 regular season debut. He visibly grimaced after hurling a 92 mph fastball, then grunted and placed his hands on his knees behind the mound.
The left-hander said that he didn’t begin experiencing discomfort until the second inning. From there, it rapidly snowballed.
“It just got worse and worse, and I just kind of felt it,” Paxton said.