Axford announced Wednesday via social media that he has retired from professional baseball.
Axford's playing days were believed to be behind him after he underwent Tommy John surgery as a 38-year-old in September 2021, but after sitting out the 2022 season, he proceeded to pitch for the Canadian team during the 2023 World Baseball Classic last spring. The right-hander didn't end up signing elsewhere following the WBC and will now formally step away from the game. A veteran of 544 career appearances over parts of 11 big-league seasons, Axford notched 144 saves and posted a lifetime 3.90 ERA in 525.2 innings across stints with Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Oakland, Toronto and the Dodgers. He enjoyed his best season with the Brewers in 2011, when he led the majors with 46 saves and finished ninth in the National League Cy Young Award balloting.
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John Axford: Competing in World Baseball Classic
Rotowire
Axford (elbow) announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he intends to pitch for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic this spring.
After he recently resumed throwing bullpen sessions, Axford is presumably comfortable with where he stands in his recovery from his September 2021 Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent shortly after making his firs MLB appearance since the 2018 season. The veteran right-hander is set to turn 40 years old in April and isn't yet ruling out the possibility of pitching in affiliated ball after the World Baseball Classic, though he'll likely need a strong showing this spring just to land a minor-league deal in free agency.
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John Axford: Throwing again
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Axford announced Monday via his personal Twitter account that he's resumed throwing for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last September.
The fact that the 39-year-old right-hander is starting up a throwing program again would seem to suggest that he's not yet considering retirement after having the elbow procedure. Barring any setbacks in his rehab program, Axford should be close to 100 percent recovered from the procedure by the end of 2022 or early in 2023, but he'll likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this winter if he wants to continue playing.
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Brewers' John Axford: Moves to 60-day IL
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Axford (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
Axford's shift to the 60-day IL is simply procedural since he's dealing with significant structural damage in his elbow and won't pitch again this season. The Brewers haven't yet announced whether the 38-year-old will require surgery or if he'll be ready for the start of spring training in 2022.
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Brewers' John Axford: Lands on IL with elbow injury
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Axford was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with an elbow injury, Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports Wisconsin reports.
The team is not prepared to share a more specific injury designation, as more testing is required. Angel Perdomo was recalled to take Axford's place in the bullpen.
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Brewers' John Axford: Headed for MRI
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Axford left Monday's game against the Pirates with elbow pain and will undergo an MRI, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
After being acquired from the Blue Jays earlier in the day for $1, Axford was added to the Milwaukee roster and summoned from the bullpen for his first MLB appearance since 2018. He didn't look quite right during the outing, as he recorded one out and allowed two runs on two hits, a walk and a hit batsman. Axford will be considered day-to-day until the results of his MRI are known. The Brewers can ill afford to lose any more relievers after recently placing all of Josh Hader, Jake Cousins, Hunter Strickland and Jandel Gustave to the COVID-19 injured list.
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Brewers' John Axford: Exits with injury
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Axford left Monday's game against the Pirates with an apparent injury, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Axford had a rough go of it in his first appearance with Milwaukee since 2013, as he hit a batter, gave up two singles and walked in a run before appearing to suffer an arm injury. He left the contest with the team trainer after recording just one out.
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Brewers' John Axford: Returns to Cream City
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The Brewers acquired Axford from the Blue Jays on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.
Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, Axford will be active for Milwaukee's series opener against Pittsburgh on Monday, so the Brewers will clear room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for the 38-year-old reliever. Axford -- who hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2018 -- enjoyed the best years of his career in Milwaukee, most notably setting the franchise single-season record for saves (46) in 2011. After linking up with the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal in late June, Axford proved he still had something left in the tank, as he posted a 0.84 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB across 10.2 innings at Triple-A Buffalo. He'll provide aid to a Brewers bullpen that recently lost three members to the COVID-19 injured list.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Agrees to terms with Blue Jays
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Axford agreed to sign with the Blue Jays on Sunday, Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet reports.
Axford's deal is pending a physical, but the 38-year-old could be on track to return to the mound in the near future. He underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow in August of 2019 and failed to land a contract in 2020. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, the right-hander's deal is a minor-league agreement. As a result, Axford will likely report to Triple-A Buffalo to begin his time with the organization.
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John Axford: Healthy again, still wants to play
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Axford said Wednesday he feels fully healthy again after undergoing surgery in August to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, the Canadian Press reports. "I didn't know what to expect [after the surgery] but I worked really hard and diligently and followed protocol," the free-agent pitcher said. "I really felt ready to go for spring training, knowing that if I signed with a team I'd have to make with that team."
While he was attending camp last season with the Blue Jays as a non-roster invitee, Axford developed a stress reaction in his elbow that kept him sidelined until late July, when he was cleared to begin a rehab program. He suffered a setback with the elbow soon thereafter, however, resulting in season-ending surgery. Now healthy again, Axford isn't ready to hang up his cleats, but the soon-to-be 37-year-old will likely need to settle for a minor-league deal if he wants to keep his career going.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Undergoes season-ending surgery
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Axford had surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow and is expected to be ready for spring training, Alexis Brudnicki of MLB.com reports.
The surgery, which was performed by Dr. James Andrews, will battle a reoccurrence of a chronic stress reaction he has been dealing with. He will be a free agent this offseason and it may be difficult for him to get a deal until he is able to throw off a mound.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Suffers setback
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Axford (elbow) suffered a setback and will not join Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Specifics regarding the setback are not yet known, but it could help explain why Axford hasn't made a rehab appearance since tossing a scoreless inning for Toronto's Gulf Coast League team near the end of July. The Blue Jays are currently trying to determine the next steps for the veteran reliever, who has been sidelined all season with a stress reaction in his elbow.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Moves rehab to Triple-A
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Axford (elbow) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Buffalo, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Axford will move his rehab to the highest level of the minors after throwing a scoreless inning for Toronto's Gulf Coast League team. The veteran reliever has been on the shelf all season with a stress reaction in his elbow.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Nearing rehab stint
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Axford (elbow) has been throwing off a mound and will be re-evaluated later in the week to determine if he's ready for a rehab assignment, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Axford has yet to pitch this season due to a stress reaction in his right elbow, but he appears to be inching towards a return. Even if he's cleared to embark on a rehab stint later in the week, he'll likely need a lengthy stay in the minors to get his arm back in shape.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Throwing long toss without issue
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Axford (elbow) is throwing long toss without issue, Alexis Brudnicki of MLB.com reports.
Axford has been ramping up his throwing program this month, and it seems everything is going to plan so far. His next step will be throwing from a mound, but it remains to be seen when that will happen.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Throws from 90 feet
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Axford (elbow) has advanced his throwing progression and is throwing from 90 feet without issues, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.
Axford hasn't pitched all season due to a stress reaction in his elbow. He's progressing toward a return to action, though it's not clear when the Blue Jays expect him to begin a rehab assignment.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Ends up back in Toronto
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Axford (elbow) re-signed with the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Reports suggested that such a move was coming soon after Axford was released Saturday, and the veteran will indeed be able to return to his hometown team. The release and re-signing allowed the Blue Jays to avoid paying the reliever a retention bonus, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports, but Axford was evidently happy enough to stay home despite that treatment. He's currently rehabbing from a stress reaction in his elbow and does not have a clear return date.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Expected to re-sign with Blue Jays
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Axford (elbow) is expected to re-sign with the Blue Jays, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
Axford was released by the Blue Jays earlier in the week after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow. It's unclear how long the veteran will be sidelined; he'll continue to rehab with his hometown team until he's ready for game action.
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John Axford: Released by Blue Jays
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Axford (elbow) was released by the Blue Jays on Saturday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.
It's been a rough few days for Axford, who was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his elbow Thursday and now released just two days later. The injury could make it difficult for him to secure his next contract.
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Blue Jays' John Axford: Nursing elbow injury
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Manager Charlie Montoyo said that Axford experienced elbow pain earlier this week and will be checked out by doctors Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Axford has been attending spring training as a non-roster invitee, but he was seemingly in good position to break camp as a member of the big-league bullpen. The injury suddenly puts him on shakier ground to crack the Opening Day roster, but the Blue Jays will await analysis of Axford's health from doctors before revealing whether he's merely day-to-day or dealing with a longer-term setback.
