The New York Yankees have announced on Wednesday that James Paxton underwent back surgery. The technical name of the procedure is a microscopic lumbar discectomy and it also included the removal of a peridiscal cyst.
Paxton, 31, was expected to slot in right behind Gerrit Cole in the rotation after registering a 3.82 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.291 WHIP in 2019. He also had 11.1 K/9 as compared to 3.3 BB/9.
It is expected that the surgery will sideline Paxton for 3-4 months. Jordan Montgomery and Jonathan Loaisiga are among the options who could be under consideration to replace him in the Opening Day starting rotation.
