James Paxton has been on a long road to recovery, and all signs are signaling toward "The Big Maple" making his Boston Red Sox debut this month.
The 34-year-old last pitched in a Major League Baseball game in 2021 when he made only one appearance for the Seattle Mariners before undergoing Tommy John surgery. When he signed with the Red Sox the following offseason, it never was a guarantee he'd pitch, but he was on track to return before being shut down in the summer with a Grade 2 lat strain.
The southpaw suffered a hamstring injury in spring training, but he has pitched in multiple rehab assignments.
Boston has taken its time with Paxton, but manager Alex Cora told reporters Saturday the veteran will join the team in Atlanta during its two-game series against the Braves on Tuesday, according to The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham and MLB.com's Ian Browne. Paxton is expected to join the rotation after the mid-week series, and Cora didn't rule out a six-man starting rotation.
That decision might depend on how the bullpen looks in the final two games of the Philadelphia Phillies series. Kutter Crawford was placed on the injured list Friday, and the Red Sox acquired Zack Littell from the Texas Rangers to fill in for him.
Boston also has Garrett Whitlock on the IL, Tanner Houck has built himself a case to stay in the rotation and Brayan Bello is a young starter the team is high on. Cora has brought up the idea of using Paxton as a relief pitcher, but these are questions he and pitching coach Dave Bush will have to answer as the team gets more healthy.
