Red Sox’ James Paxton announces plan to retire after 2024 season

“I feel a duty and responsibility to be at home with my family.”

James Paxton is hanging up his spikes after 11 seasons in MLB. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

After dealing with several injuries over his promising career, left-handed starter James Paxton announced on WEEI’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast on Wednesday that he intends to retire at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

“I think after this season I’m going to be retiring and moving on to the next chapter,” Paxton told WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “It’s tough. Obviously, I think I can still do it. I think I can still compete and help a team win. But I just think where my family is at and what they need right now, they need me home.

“I feel a duty and responsibility to be at home with my family, and I’m looking forward to being at home with my family and spending more time with them.”

Paxton, who turns 36 in November, is currently on the 60-day injured list due to a torn calf muscle — ending his second stint with the Red Sox after logging just 11 innings with Boston in 2024.

Acquired by Boston just ahead of the July 30 trade deadline as a back-of-the-rotation arm, Paxton went 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA over three appearances before suffering a season-ending injury on Aug. 11 against the Astros.

After throwing just five pitches in that game against Houston, Paxton left the matinee matchup at Fenway Park after trying to cover first base on a ground-ball play. A subsequent MRI revealed that Paxton suffered a partial tear of his right calf muscle.

Injuries have plagued Paxton throughout the course of his career, with the southpaw limited to just 46 total starts over the past five seasons.

Paxton’s best stint of his career came with the Mariners, with the 6-foot-4 lefty going 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA over 103 total starts. He was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2019 season, going 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA in his first year in The Bronx.

But things quickly went downhill after that, with Paxton undergoing spinal surgery in February 2020 and only pitching in five games that year before getting shut down due to left flexor tendon strain. He re-signed with Seattle in 2021, but then went under the knife with Tommy John surgery after throwing just 24 pitches with the M’s.

Paxton signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Red Sox in December 2021, with the veteran missing the entire 2022 campaign while recovering from his elbow surgery. He made 19 starts with the Red Sox in 2023, sporting a 4.50 ERA over 96 innings of work.