PHOENIX — With a pain-free and issue-free bullpen on Friday afternoon at Chase Field, the Mariners can now start planning to activate left-hander James Paxton from the disabled list.
Paxton suffered a severe left forearm contusion in the first inning of his start on Aug. 14 when he was struck by a 96 mph line drive off the bat of Jed Lowrie. He started playing catch last week and then moved to the mound on Friday — a major step in his progression.
“It was all great,” said pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. “He’s not even putting any thought into it when he was on the mound.