Jameson Taillon is currently in the process of transitioning to a normal five-day schedule in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. The Pirates were taking things slow with the right-hander’s rehab this spring, having him pitch just twice a week. He’s now doing his in-season lifting and conditioning routines, and getting closer to getting back on the mound in games.
“I’m hoping to get into a game soon, but obviously it’s been a while for me,” Taillon said. “I’m starting to get itchy.”
Taillon threw a bullpen on Monday in extended Spring Training. He is scheduled to throw a live batting practice tomorrow. After that, Special Assistant to the GM Jim Benedict, Minor League Pitching Coordinator Scott Mitchell, and all of the higher level guys will decide the next step in his rehab work.
The bullpen work has been different than what he was going through in Spring Training. He is now throwing 30-35 pitches, and can work on anything he feels might need extra work at the end of the session. That’s a change from Spring Training, when he was on a stricter pitch count, and limited at times with what he could throw. He is throwing all of his pitches in his live batting practice sessions, and is calling a few of his pitches, while trying to go through a few pitch sequences.
“Everything I’m doing right now is geared towards competing again,” Taillon said.
The last live batting practice was an extended inning that saw him go 25-30 pitches. Normally pitchers will go two innings, with a break in between, before they are ready to start throwing in live games. Taillon said that he’s not sure if that will be in the plans tomorrow.
The most important thing here is that Taillon says his arm is feeling good. He said his goal coming out of Spring Training was to shift from rehab mode to a more competitive mode, with the focus being on trusting his delivery and competing, rather than focusing on working on his mechanics. Taillon says the transition is going really well.
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