James Paxton appeared to be on the verge of coming off the disabled list and rejoining the Mariners’ rotation after missing the past six weeks with a shoulder injury, but now the rookie left-hander has been shut down again.
Paxton threw 62 pitches in a minor-league rehab start Saturday at Triple-A for his first game action since April 8, but then complained of soreness and underwent an MRI exam that revealed shoulder inflammation. Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that he’ll be completely shut down for at least one week, so returning to the majors before July now seems unlikely.
Paxton was very impressive in his first two starts before the injury and, combined with his strong MLB debut for the Mariners last September, he has a 5-0 record and 1.75 ERA through six career starts. He also ranked as a consensus top-100 prospect coming into the season.