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Yankees' Paxton out 3-4 months after back surgery

Abbie Parr / Getty Images Sport / Getty

New York Yankees left-hander James Paxton will open the 2020 season on the sideline after undergoing back surgery, the team announced Wednesday.

The surgery, known as a microscopic lumbar discectomy, was performed Wednesday in Dallas and involved the removal of a peridiscal cyst from Paxton's back.

Paxton is expected to miss about three-to-four months of action, the Yankees announced. That would put him on track to return in May at the earliest.

General manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that the southpaw's back pain flared up during the final week of the regular season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Paxton responded to treatment at the time and was able to pitch through it in the playoffs.

Surgery was not initially an option, but renewed back pain in the last month or so prompted Paxton and the Yankees to go through with the procedure, Cashman said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Paxton first hit the injured list with a back injury in 2018 while with the Seattle Mariners, according to Baseball Savant. His lone IL stint last season was due to a knee issue, though Cashman said Wednesday that Paxton was bumped from starting Game 1 of the ALCS because of his back treatment, according to Hoch.

The 30-year-old Canadian posted a 3.82 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 186 strikeouts over 29 outings for the Yankees in 2019, his first season in the Bronx. Paxton was also solid in the playoffs, putting up a 2.16 ERA with 12 strikeouts during two starts in the ALCS, a series the Yankees lost to the Houston Astros.

His absence creates a temporary hole in the Yankees' rotation to start the year. Multiple arms are expected to be in competition for the spot in spring training.

Cashman also noted that one reason the Yankees didn't trade veteran starter J.A. Happ this winter was because of the uncertainty surrounding Paxton's back, according to Sherman.

Injuries were one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Yankees during the 2019 campaign. The team placed a major-league record 30 players on the IL last year, though New York still managed to win 103 games and a division title.

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