James Paxton exercises his $4 million player option with Red Sox

BOSTON  -- Last week, the Red Sox declined a two-year club option on pitcher James Paxton. But the lefty will remain a member of the team in 2023.

Paxton exercised his own player option for the upcoming season on Wednesday. The Red Sox will now pay the southpaw $4 million for the 2023 season.

Paxton never pitched for Boston last season. He wasn't expected to return to the big leagues until late in the season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, but then suffered a lat strain in his first and only rehab start in August. He was shut down for the rest of the year after the injury. 

At just $4 million, Paxton could be a huge steal for Boston in 2023 -- so long as he actually pitches for the team. The 34-year-old owns a 57-33 record and 3.59 ERA over his nine Major League seasons, and if healthy, Paxton could give the Red Sox a talented and serviceable arm for the middle of their rotation.

But "if healthy" is a big if, considering Paxton has pitched just 21.2 innings since the start of the 2020 season.