Seattle Mariners rumors present some good news for fans, as starting pitcher James Paxton is ready to return from the disabled list. A report by MLB.com states that following his rehab start for Arkansas, Paxton is ready to return to the starting rotation of the Mariners. He gave up two earned runs over four innings of work in the rehab start, but the intent was to work on his pitches and stretch out his arm. Paxton succeeded in that goal and the Mariners feel confident that he can return to the 25-man roster.
Before Paxton went on the disabled list with a strained left forearm, he made six starts for the Mariners, posting a 3-0 record, with a 1.43 ERA and a.982 WHIP over 37 2/3 innings of work. Paxton ranked among the Major League leaders in pitching, fulfilling the promise he had shown during his first few stints with the Mariners. The injury came at an unfortunate time for the Mariners, though, as it left the starting rotation with almost no depth.
Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Drew Smyly are all on the disabled list now, meaning four of the five guys who were expected to make up the starting rotation this season had been hurt. There were frequent Seattle Mariners rumors around baseball as the team tried hard to add starting pitching. General manager Jerry Dipoto ended up promoting quite a few arms from Triple-A Tacoma, meeting with mixed results from a total of 27 pitchers who have appeared for the staff this year.
. @Mariners ‘ pitcher @James_Paxton ‘s start with the @ARTravs . 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 2 R (both earned) @MiLBMariners @TNT_Mariners @MikeKOMOsports pic.twitter.com/pxvlzLzJdZ
— Kyle Deckelbaum (@KATVKyle) May 27, 2017
Paxton spoke to the media following his 55-pitch rehab start, which he also followed with a bullpen session to get in a little extra work.
“It felt good. No issues. I moved the ball around a little bit, threw some breaking balls for strikes, recovered really well, which was great, and played catch yesterday and had no problems. My bullpen just now felt really good, so I’m ready to go.”
This is welcome news for fans of the team, as none of the recent Seattle Mariners rumors have been positive. While the Mariners did pick up an important 5-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, May 28, the team had lost four-straight games before that. It included two straight shutouts at the hands of the Red Sox, with a scoreless streak that the offense would soon like to forget. A lackluster offense combined with a struggling pitching staff dropped the Mariners all the way to last place in the American League West.
Strong pitching and the long ball lift the Mariners to victory in Boston. RECAP: https://t.co/k8XUo8IiVC pic.twitter.com/5316NtlZB9
— Mariners (@Mariners) May 28, 2017
James Paxton will take the mound when the Mariners host the Colorado Rockies next Wednesday, May 31. The Mariners have two games against the Rockies on the road to start the week before heading to Safeco Field to play two more games in the split four-game series. With Paxton re-entering the starting rotation, manager Scott Servais will push Yovani Gallardo back to a Thursday start, June 1, against the Rockies. Having Paxton back on the field should provide an immediate boost for the team and a draw for Mariners fans waiting for the team to finally return home.
OPINION: The Seattle Mariners ought to make Edgar Martinez the new club manager, effective immediately. https://t.co/lQxUcRAiug pic.twitter.com/Y2iZEFG84S
— The Daily Evergreen (@DailyEvergreen) May 19, 2017
The Mariners now have a 22-29 overall record that has the team only one game ahead of the Kansas City Royals (21-28) and the worst record in the American League. Despite the struggles through those first 51 games, the Mariners are only four-and-a-half games behind the Cleveland Indians (25-23) for the second Wild Card spot in the AL. If the team can go on a nice winning streak, there could be fresh Seattle Mariners rumors about Jerry Dipoto trying to acquire more talent for a playoff push.
[Featured Image by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images]
