James Paxton

Yankees' James Paxton (back) closing in on return to baseball activities

New York Yankees starting pitcher James Paxton could begin throwing as soon as the end of this week, it was announced Thursday.

What It Means:

This news comes from Paxton himself, as he addressed reporters to give an update on his status. He told the media he's looking to begin throwing either this weekend or early next week. The former All-Star pitcher is recovering from a Feb. 5 surgery to remove a cyst from his spine and is tentatively expected to join the active roster in late April or May.

Our models currently project Paxton for a 4.01 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, 152 strikeouts and 44 walks in 125.7 innings pitched.