Paxton Schultz
Paxton James Schultz is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He has previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Career
Amateur
Schultz attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah, and Utah Valley University, where he played college baseball for the Utah Valley Wolverines. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in finance.Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 14th round, with the 443rd overall pick, of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the rookie-level Rocky Mountain Vibes, logging a 1-3 record and 3.86 ERA with 22 strikeouts in innings pitched across nine games. Schultz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Toronto Blue Jays
On May 1, 2021, the Brewers sent Schultz to the Toronto Blue Jays as the player to be named later in their previous trade for Derek Fisher.On April 20, 2025, Schultz was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his debut later that day against the Seattle Mariners, pitching innings and recording eight strikeouts, tying the MLB record for the most strikeouts by a relief pitcher in their major league debut. After being optioned twice to Buffalo in August, Schultz was recalled to the Blue Jays on September 25. In 13 total appearances for the Blue Jays during his rookie campaign, he recorded a 4.38 ERA with 28 strikeouts across innings pitched. On January 4, 2026, Schultz was designated for assignment by Toronto following the signing of Kazuma Okamoto.