The only thing that heals injuries is time, and the New York Yankees have had plenty of it over the past few months. Players such as James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks have had the ability to recover and progress through their rehabilitation programs.
The latest injury news is positive, thankfully. Paxton, who endured a back surgery to remove a cyst, said he is “back to full strength†and will be prepared to start whenever the season officially begins.
“I think I’ve thrown probably 12, 14 bullpens,” Paxton told the YES Network on Friday. “It’s my back feeling really good. My back is a non-issue. I feel totally healthy, so I’ll be ready to go as soon as the season comes about. … I think I’m back to full strength.”
Paxton‘s 2019 campaign was inconsistent, but he showed up toward the end of the year and put on a dominant performance to help the New York Yankees into the ALCS against the Houston Astros. Paxton‘s surgery was unexpected, but he had been feeling discomfort for a few months following the end of the playoffs. It was better to get it out-of-the-way than wait until the pain was unbearable. Paxton would have missed a solid chunk of the 2020 campaign, but the additional time off allowed him to heal.
“The velocity is getting better and better, breaking balls and stuff like that, getting a feel for my pitches, so everything is going really well. I’ve seen some good results there, so I’m continuing to try and improve over this time, even though we’re not playing.”
The Yankees will need their top three starting pitcher, after Luis Severino was ruled out for the entire year due to Tommy John surgery. Luckily, they signed Gerrit Cole as their ace, which should supplement Severino’s loss. This is the final year on Paxton’s contract so depending on how he performs the season, the Yankees could extend him moving forward.