That’s a bummer, but it’s hard to blame him after so many injury issues during a career that began with the Mariners in 2013. The 35-year-old lefty had just started a second stint with the Red Sox this summer when he suffered a torn calf on Aug. 11. Because of the injuries, Paxton never reached his Cy Young potential or went to an All-Star Game. However, he did fan 208 batters in 2018, and he won 15 games before pitching well in his one postseason experience with the Yankees in 2019. Assuming he sticks to this, he’ll finish his career 73-41 with a 3.77 ERA and 1,005 strikeouts in 951 innings. His .640 winning percentage places him 17th among all pitchers with 100 decisions during the expansion era (post-1961).

Paxton’s season is officially over. This move was merely a bit of housekeeping by the Red Sox as they needed to open a spot on the 40-man roster for LHP Joely Rodriguez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A. Paxton was 9-3 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 100 1/3 innings this year.

Paxton told reporters after the diagnosis that he hopes to pitch again in 2024, but the timeline for him returning from such an injury makes it tough to picture. The left-hander injured the calf in the first inning of Sunday’s start against the Red Sox. There’s a very good chance we don’t see Paxton back on the bump again until 2025.

It’s good news that it is the calf and not the Achilles for Paxton, but it’d still qualify as a nice surprise if he’s back before late September. Cooper Criswell will likely get the open rotation spot once back from the COVID-19 IL.