Red Sox Pitcher James Paxton Plans to Retire After 2024 MLB Season amid Calf Injury

Boston Red Sox pitcher James Paxton confirmed to WEEI's Rob Bradford he intends to retire upon the conclusion of the 2024 MLB season.

The southpaw remains on the injured list with a strained right calf, an injury that effectively ruled him out for the rest of the year after the Red Sox moved him to the 60-day injured list.

Paxton's retirement isn't a huge shock given his age (35) and persistent injury trouble.

He has long been a tantalizing talent. Between 2017 and 2021, he had a 3.69 ERA, a 3.30 FIP and punched out 11.1 batters per nine innings. He also made just 87 appearances across that span, an average of 17 per season.

Paxton signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past spring. He went 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 89.1 innings, with Boston acquiring him ahead of the trade deadline.

His second tenure with the Sox didn't get off to a great start as he allowed three earned runs over 4.1 innings in a 10-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners on July 30. In his next appearance, he went six innings and surrendered just two earned runs in a 9-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

There's a chance Paxton hasn't appeared in his last MLB game, but that hinges on the Red Sox reaching the postseason.

At 73-72, they're 10 games back of the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East and have four games to make up on the Minnesota Twins for the final wild-card berth. FanGraphs gives Boston a 6.4 percent chance of making the playoffs.