Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jameson Taillon is likely headed back to the injured list after exiting Friday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals with right elbow discomfort. The right-hander had just been reinstated from the 15-day injured list prior to the start.
The Blue Jays are facing another rotation crunch as they fight for a postseason spot in the American League. Right-hander Jameson Taillon made his return to the active roster on Friday, starting against the Kansas City Royals. His outing lasted just two innings before he allowed one earned run on a solo home run by Bobby Witt Jr. and was pulled from the contest.
The team announced that Taillon has right elbow discomfort. According to reporting from Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling, the righty will undergo an MRI tonight and will likely be placed on the IL tomorrow. The Blue Jays will have more details on the severity of the injury soon, pending the results of the MRI.
A Familiar Injury Scare for the Toronto Rotation
The timing of the latest setback compounds a difficult stretch for the 34-year-old veteran. Taillon spent three weeks on the IL starting August 11th with right forearm tendinitis, and he only just returned tonight. He also missed six weeks in June and July while with the Cubs, though that was for a strained left hamstring and unrelated to his arm. He had pitched in a rehab game at triple-A Buffalo on August 28th, throwing 3.1 innings and 48 pitches while surrendering three hits, two walks and four earned runs.
Any hint of elbow discomfort is notable given that Taillon has twice undergone Tommy John surgery. However, Taillon told manager John Schneider that the injury felt more like a nerve issue than potential ligament damage.
Roster Shuffle and Wild Card Implications
To clear a roster spot for Taillon’s initial return, lefty Ricky Tiedemann was optioned to triple-A Buffalo. Tiedemann has bounced between triple-A and MLB this season, appearing out of the bullpen at the top level for the Blue Jays. His last appearance came on September 1st against the Cleveland Guardians, pitching one shutout inning of relief in a 6-1 loss.
The Blue Jays entered today a half game behind the Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot after a series win over the Guardians. Toronto defeated the Royals 9-2, but Cleveland won both games of a doubleheader against the Tigers, so they’re now one game ahead of the Jays. Even if Taillon has a minimal IL stint this time around, he’ll only be back for one or two more starts at the end of September. That wouldn’t be a huge blow for Toronto, as Taillon was a low-cost depth acquisition rather than a difference-maker. It will nonetheless deprive the Jays of some rotation depth as they try to fight their way into the playoffs.
Evaluating the 2026 Season and Rotation Depth
Taillon has struggled through a career-worst season in 2026. After posting a 3.68 ERA in 23 starts last year, he’s regressed to a 5.68 mark in 17 starts this year. Most of that damage came while he was with the Cubs, as Taillon allowed a staggering 25 home runs in 76 innings. He allowed 24 homers all of last year while pitching over 50 more innings. Chicago designated him for assignment on July 27th, eventually upgrading their rotation through deals for Clay Holmes and then-Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. Before the trade, he recorded a 5.92 ERA over 15 starts. Since being traded to the Blue Jays, Taillon has only made three starts for his new club. The first two were fine enough, as he allowed three earned runs in four innings on August 5th, then followed it with four scoreless frames on August 10th. His velocity dipped during that second start, which led to the IL stint for forearm tendinitis.
Without Taillon temporarily out of the picture, the rotation features Dylan Cease, who is having a dominant season and is a contender for the AL Cy Young award. José Soriano has been serviceable behind him since coming over from the Angels. The Blue Jays’ best options after Cease and Soriano are the 42-year-old Max Scherzer and lefty Spencer Arrighetti. The latter has a 4.82 ERA on the season, including a 6.55 mark in 11 innings with Toronto. Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Patrick Corbin are all on the IL. Yesavage might return by the end of the season, per the team’s official injury report, but there are no return timelines on Bieber or Corbin at the moment.
Продолжение темы
