Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the club has recalled left-handed pitcher James Paxton from AAA Tacoma and placed right-handed pitcher Felix Hernandez on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf strain.
· James Paxton, LHP, recalled from AAA Tacoma
· Felix Hernandez, RHP, placed on 15-day DL (retroactive to May 28)
Paxton (#65) will start tonight's game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
Paxton, 27, was 4-3 with a 3.97 ERA (21 ER, 47.2 IP) with 50 strikeouts in 10 starts with AAA Tacoma this season. He held opponents to one earned run or less in 7 of his 10 starts this season, while limiting hitters to a .229 (41x179) batting average. In his last start on May 26 at Round Rock, he allowed just 2 unearned runs in 6.0 innings while allowing just 3 hits and struck out 5.
In parts of three Major League seasons with Seattle, he is 12-8 with a 3.16 ERA (58 ER, 165.0 IP) with 136 strikeouts in 30 starts. He was drafted by Seattle in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft after he completed his career at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
Hernandez, 30, was examined today in Seattle by Mariners Medical Director Ed Khalfayan and diagnosed with a strained right calf. The right-hander was 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA (20 ER, 63.0 IP) with 53 strikeouts in 10 starts this season. His 2.86 ERA is the 8th-best in the American League, while his .217 opponents batting average is T8th.
In parts of 12 Major League seasons, he is 147-105 with a 3.11 ERA (803 ER, 2325.1 IP) with 2,195 strikeouts in 344 starts for the Mariners. The Venezuelan was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 4, 2002 and now holds the Mariners club records for wins and strikeouts.