The injury bug claims its first victim for the New York Yankees in James Paxton. Not to be out of the spotlight, Scott Boras chimes in.
Signing Gerrit Cole was a huge move for the New York Yankees. Just a few days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Yankees rotation took a major hit when it was announced that lefty James Paxton underwent back surgery.
The starter underwent a microscopic lumbar discectomy to remove a peridiscal cyst this past Wednesday and the original announcement claimed Paxton would be out for three to four months in his recovery.
Now, that timeline might have changed. Or, has it?
As reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Paxton’s agent Scott Boras said, “We’re very optimistic he’ll be back in the first third of the season.”
James Paxton will be back sooner than has been estimated/suggested following his microscopic lumbar discectomy, according to agent Scott Boras. “We’re very optimistic he’ll back in the first third of the season,” Boras said.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 7, 2020
This is a very informative piece of news, seeing as how the initial report indicated that if all goes as planned with the timeline, Paxton will return as early as May.
If the math is correct, May is in the first third of the season. So why even say anything at all?
Basically Scott Boras gave people a comment that determined what we already know: he could be back then.
So what is the point of making said comment? To just remain in the spotlight? Now that the offseason is winding down, Scott Boras has to do something to remain relevant. How about “breaking” news that has already been broken?
Paxton was a welcome addition to the rotation in 2019, where he went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA in his first season in the Bronx. The Yankees will certainly miss him early on but if all goes according to plan, he could return as soon as May 5, missing just over a month.
So in this case, Boras didn’t break any news. He just spun the news in a different way. Anything to stay in the spotlight. The most important takeaway? James Paxton will be back early on in the season unless something goes completely wrong and fans should be okay with that.
