BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today reinstated left-handed pitcher James Paxton from the 15-Day Injured List. To make room for Paxton on the active roster, the club designated right-handed pitcher Zack Littell for assignment. The Red Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 39.
Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the announcement.
Paxton, 34, is scheduled to start on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, his Red Sox debut. He was placed on the 15-Day Injured List on March 30 (retroactive to March 27) with a right hamstring strain and made six rehab appearances (five starts) with Triple-A Worcester, allowing two runs in 10.1 innings over his last two. The left-hander is 57-33 with a 3.59 ERA (301 ER/754.2 IP) in 137 career starts with the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, 2021) and New York Yankees (2019-20). His last Major League start came on April 6, 2021 with Seattle, before he underwent Tommy John surgery on April 13, 2021. Paxton was signed by Boston as a free agent on December 1, 2021.
Littell, 27, was acquired from the Texas Rangers in a minor league trade on May 5 and selected to the active roster on May 6. The right-hander made two appearances for Boston, allowing three runs in 3.0 innings with three walks and two strikeouts. He has gone 13-5 with a 4.17 ERA (80 ER/172.2 IP) in 147 career Major League appearances (four starts) with the Minnesota Twins (2018-20), San Francisco Giants (2021-22), and Red Sox (2023).