Paxton on schedule to return late next week

ANAHEIM — Left-hander James Paxton will throw a bullpen session on Thursday in Angel Stadium and then likely pitch a couple of innings for Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday before rejoining the Mariners rotation late next week as he works back from a stiff arm caused by a line drive off his elbow in his last start on Aug. 7.

Paxton is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, but he’s pointed toward a return at some point during the White Sox series on the road next weekend as the club wants to make sure he’s fully healed and has a chance to face live hitting in Tacoma after missing two weeks.

“It’s tough,” Paxton said of having his season put on hold while the team is fighting for a playoff spot. “Competitively, of course, I want to be out there and I want to pitch. But we also have to be smart about handling this because the rest of the season is more important than one or two games. So we want to make sure it gets taken care of and it isn’t a lingering issue, so when I get back out there I can just get back to pitching every five days and being healthy.”

Paxton had been the Mariners best starter in the previous month, posting a 1.65 ERA over his last four starts until an Andrelton Simmons line …

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