After undergoing ankle surgery on October 28, Jameson Taillon isn’t yet sure about his recovery timeline, the Yankees right-hander told The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler. Taillon’s procedure fixed a torn longus tendon in his right ankle, and since this “is such a rare injury for pitchers,” Taillon said he doesn’t know exactly how his offseason rehab will play out.
“We have a rough timeline of when I can start really playing catch, which would be sometime in like mid to late January,” Taillon said. “But even the doctor was kind of like, ’You guys are the pitching experts.’ A typical offseason throwing progression would be like six to eight weeks of playing catch and then four weeks of bullpens. So basically everything I’m doing is kind of a month behind, but I’m not really sure where that will leave us at the end.”
In the event that the “month behind” projection is accurate, Taillon would seem likely to miss some games at the start of the season, as he’d need some extra work to make up for the lost Spring Training time. As he noted, however, everything seems quite fluid at this point, so it still be several weeks before Taillon or the Yankees know when exactly the righty might be ready to pitch.
The lockout prevents Taillon from communicating with team personnel, and “the Yankees’ strength department wrote out a program for me, but they don’t get to see me every day, so that side of it is kind of weird.” That said, Taillon said he is continuing his recovery at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, and has already been out of a walking boot for around 10 days.
Taillon also observed that his own past injury history has already made him quite familiar with rehab processes in general. A right flexor tendon strain and a subsequent Tommy John surgery sidelined for all of 2020, and limited him to only 37 1/3 innings in 2019. This was the second TJ surgery of Taillon’s career, and he also missed time in 2017 recovering from surgery for testicular cancer.
With this in mind, it was no small feat that Taillon was able to toss 144 1/3 innings for the Yankees last season, marking the second-highest workload of his five MLB seasons. Taillon posted a 4.30 ERA/4.33 SIERA with an above-average 7.3% walk rate and some impressive spin rates on his fastball and curve, though his fastball velocity was slightly down (to 94mph) from the 95mph he averaged from 2016-18. His hard-contact numbers were also down, and the result was ultimately what Taillon described as a “very up and down” season, as “it felt like my hot streak was really hot and my cold streak was really cold, which really isn’t like me.”
He remained healthy until his ankle issue arose in early September, though after a three-week absence, Taillon was able to return from the injured list and make two more appearances in key late-season games. Over a pair of abbreviated starts, Taillon allowed one earned run in 5 2/3 IP, helping New York to two critical victories.
The Yankees are no strangers to pitching injuries, and while the club obviously hopes Taillon is ready sooner rather than later, the Bronx Bombers have some rotation depth on hand. Beyond ace Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Nestor Cortes Jr., Luis Severino, and Domingo German are lined up for starts, swingman Michael King can help in both the rotation and the bullpen, and youngsters Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Deivi Garcia are all waiting in the wings. The Yankees could also certainly still add to this group via trades or free agents once the lockout is over, and made one noteworthy push for a starter already this winter, reportedly offering Justin Verlander a one-year, $25MM deal before Verlander re-signed with the Astros.
@Mark Polishuk
Here’s an idea for improvement, no offense intended. Describing a 7.3% walk rate as “above average” implies he is walking more batters than the league average. How about labelling it “a better than average walk rate of 7.3%?” And then “worse than average walk rate” when that applies. Sorry if I sound like a “grammar Nazi.”
“No, adjectives for you! Come back … one year!”
I think rehab should have been an exception in the lockout. These players were injured playing in 2020 or 2021, and the team should provide ongoing support. Sort of like the VA providing support to wounded veterans after they come home.
Yes, it really should be excluded, but this is MLB, not the most sensible or logical organization.
Interestingly, my MiLB nephew is coming off his second TJ surgery (the first “didn’t take”) and he will report to Arizona in January to start working his way back. He also had a nasty ankle injury along the way. It’s a long road.
I’m actually surprised sending a program to a player isn’t considered communicating. It’s kind of communication through writing. It would be funny if they added a little note in there and said something like “call up your buddy Carlos Correa and tell him we will offer 10 years at $330 million.”
You can’t really just exclude something that’s under a contractual agreement. It’s perhaps the worst of technicalities but it is what it is.
MLBPA and MLB have made specific provisions in the past, they could have done so again.
I guess the answer if the owners wanted to would be a provision in this CBA that applies to the expiration of that next agreement. Not even sure if it’s needed as it seems to just be part of the owners’ lock out. Regardless, it does seem stupid for under contract players. Where though do you draw the line? The idea of a lock out is well to lock out ..
It’s nothing like that at all. Overpaid Baseball players playing for personal fame and wealth vs Military personnel risking their lives on a higher cause than their own lives and for next to nothing.
Yeah, when you ignore the analogy he was making and create your own, it is totally different. Shocker
Have to agree with BeforeMcCort. Nobody needed to be told there is a difference between soldiers and ball players. That difference doesn’t mean their isn’t a similar principle.
@Garry. Both sides make to much money. I don’t know know why overpaid baseball players should receive greater ire from you overpaid team owners.
I wonder if it is a liability issue of owners not wanting to risk players suffering further injury on team sites or a leverage play by owners knowing these guys want to come back.
Probably mostly the former with the knowledge of the latter.
There’s liability, probably no insurance coverage… tons of technicalities… plus as someone pointed out, a lock out means locked out. If you get around it to do some of the stuff you want, it’s not a lockout, is it?
Brian just loves to acquire players with injury issues.
After his first several IL stint Cashman decided that it was time to lock up Aaron Hicks and reward his durability with an extension.
At the time, it was a risk but had Hicks somehow stayed on the field, everyone would be talking about how dumb he was and how smart Cashman was. How about simply giving Hicks and/or his agent some credit here? Too many times we read how greedy the sides are. This was at the time a risky but fair deal for both sides.
I hear ya. When he’s healthy he’s productive for the most part but now his fielding (which was one of his strengths) has been lacking. At this point you have to either platoon the CF position or find an everyday guy to man that position. I doubt any team would trade for Hicks given his contract and injury history unless NY paid most of it.
Mr Glass aka Carl Pavano Jr
It’s not too smart to call him Mr Glass since he survived cancer
So we’re not allowed to discuss the fact that he can’t stay healthy with regards to baseball related injuries? My apologies, oh great moral authority of MLBTR.
I certainly can’t argue with the self appointed medical expert of MLBTR
Holiday greetings to you Doc
Put your daggers down. CmH didn’t make medical diagnoses; he just points out that Taillon is injury prone like Pavano was. Can’t argue with that comparison!
You’re talking about the Carl Pavano who started over 30 games for the two seasons before he was signed by the Yankees and then started over 30 games for three seasons after his Yankee “career”. I hardly think he was made of glass. Throughout the history of free agency there have been players who only turned into glass during their Yankees tenure. Same thing has happened with lots of other teams.
@For Love Of The Game
He is indeed. Doesn’t take a doctor to see that 🙂
Jordan Zimmerman in DET…
The Yankees were known for signing FAs who had just had career years. In career years, pitchers typically pitch more innings/deeper into games than in an average year. Which means they are more likely to have put extra stress on their arms. Which in turn means they are more likely to demonstrate wear and tear the following year.
Crav,
Please add a comma between ‘eggshells’ and ‘chief’ to deliver a more punishing blow. Go on, you can do it!
They were known? Give multiple examples please. I can’t recall the Yankees being so over the top in comparison to other clubs that it stands out You might be right but nothing obvious comes to mind.
I hope he comes back healthy, but, regardless of his recovery timetable, I sincerely hope Cashman has adequately planned for the possibility Tallion won’t come be ready for a few months.
My point: please don’t call it a day if we get Rodon, for example, who’s another injury-prone pitcher. I’d love to see a trade with the A’s for SP, although the prospect return would likey be fairly steep.
It’s a good sign that Cashman was willing to pay up for Verlander.
Yeah, I’ve been thinking Rodon might appeal to Cash. I hope not, man. If we add a starter, I hope durability is stressed.
When Taillon is throwing all 5 of his pitches for strikes, he’s a pretty good pitcher. I do think him getting a late start – however – is probably something on Cashman’s offseason radar though.
He & Monty look like pretty solid mid-rotation arms, & German looks to be just a little behind them. Sevy & Cortes are wild cards. No idea what Sevy will do next year. Ditto for Cortes but for different reasons.
The bottom line is – when adding in some decent AAA depth – the Yanks don’t really need quantity in the rotation. Some stability would be pretty helpful though. Interesting to see what Cash does here. The only contract he offered thus far was a one year deal to Verlander. So he is obviously *thinking* about the rotation anyway.
Who you hoping for Ducky?
I don’t really have anyone specific in mind, Joe.
I can rip a list of at least half a dozen bats/position players off whom I would like to see added. I see a much greater need there. But with the pitching I have much less certainty. I was partial to Verlander. Now…just don’t know. You have a guy?
Contingent on Sevy being Sevy, I don’t mind a deal to bring Pineda back to eat some innings. As far as a higher quality pitcher… I’m with you on not really having an answer.
If we can get a good bounce back from Sevy, that would solve a lot of problems. Hard to count on it though.
I always liked Big Mike & his “strike ’em outs” too. But he has lost quite a bit of velocity the last couple seasons. Battled some injuries too, including last year. Not sure how much he has left.
Maybe Cueto?
Be nice to have a guy you wouldn’t be embarrassed to start a playoff game for you as well as providing innings. Might have to go the trade route to get that. I’ve always liked Manaea.
Yeah Cueto has a higher ceiling than Pineda. I had forgotten about Cueto TBH.
I expect the trade route is the way to go.
Except for the Yankees have the minor league talent (that they will part with) to get a deal with Oakland or Cincinnati done? I think other teams with similar needs will be offering more.
Dewey, will they part with prospects is a valid question. Though recently they have made moves for Gray, Paxton and Taillon. Those pitchers aren’t back end of the rotation types. They aren’t aces either but they were good pitchers. My point being the Yankees have and will make deals for starters even when other teams need starters as well.
Frankie Montas or Chris Bassitt would be cool or maybe even Luis Castillo. The M’s need one of those guys too; add to the list Sean Mannea. Yanks can have one, M’s can have one.
This guy is a warrior who wants to be alive and play baseball…
Agree 100% and that’s something we saw here in Pittsburgh, but sometimes the body just says it’s time to focus on something else. Not sure he’ll ever be able to physically make it through a season again. No negative judgments, that’s just the way he is.
Coming off TJS & almost two years away from the mound, he threw 144.1 innings of 4.30 ERA (with a 3.80 FIP) ball in 2021. I don’t think he needs to contemplate hanging up the ole cleats quite yet.
He often struggled with his command (especially early in the year) which is fairly typical for anyone coming off Tommy John surgery. Typically, a pitcher’s command comes back the second year after the surgery. Odds are, same’ll be true for him.
Now. He probably won’t be the ace it looked like he was going to be at one time.
But: proven above average starting pitchers are pretty valuable & always Get Paid.
Thanks. Had no idea he had thrown that many innings this past year. Together with Glasnow, we thought the future of Pirate pitching had two solid foundation pieces. But Glasnow could never find his control here and Taillon seemed to be in a never-ending cycle of major injuries that would shut him down. Truly hope he can be a pitcher with endurance
No problem.
When guys leave the Yankees, I tend to lose track of them. Especially if they wind up in the NL.
I think the Yanks got pretty much everything out of Taillon that they could reasonably hope for in ’21. I think the hope is/was he will even take another step forward in ’22. But after he settled in & before a rather flukey ankle injury, he looked like a pretty good #3 MLB starter. & as you guys mentioned: he’s a gamer.
The ability is certainly still there, if perhaps muted a bit. Even when he was giving up a lot of runs early in the season, he was still running high K rates.
& I can certainly see being excited about a staff having Taillon, Glasnow, & Musgrove. Helluva start to an MLB rotation.
Funny that he was injured at the workplace yet the said workplace who retains him as an asset cannot rehab that asset to function at their level of standards.
Wonder if New York State work medical compensation laws could be in effect.
I’d bet they sign away those rights in their contract in lieu of the MLBPA. Contracts are contracts. Just because the worst case scenario happened doesn’t mean they can retroactively change what they agreed to give up
Well ,the dude has made > $10M (including this year’s arbitration).. It’s not like he cannot find a world-class doctor. I assume that the same doctor who did the surgery can help guide his rehab, even if Taillon pays for the rehab instead of the NYY.
It’s not all that complicated. The best PT in the world probably doesn’t cost as much for the next three months, as Taillon makes per game.
I doubt MLB wants to take responsibility for a rehabbing when it has no intention of paying salaries and no desire to take on additional liability for anything that occurs to the rehabber during the lock-out period. Besides, it’s a point of leverage for them in CBA negotiations. We fans might think it’s a good idea and fair, owners don’t bother themselves with things like that.
There’s just no winning as an owner saying anything. If you complain, you are perceived to not be standing with your other 29 owners in solidarity. If you do not complain, fans claim you don’t care
It’s just business
We both agree, it’s business.
I think Yankee fans remember how well Chieng Ming Wang recovered from his ankle injury.
I have no medical training so take this free opinion for what you paid to read it but I’d err on the side of caution here. As a right handed pitcher, Taillon’s right foot/ankle is what is pushing on the rubber each pitch and providing strength and stability for his body. I think it’s better to let him sit out in May than to risk losing him again in July.
It is a shame he can’t work with the team physicians, but it’s a side effect of the lockout. Taillon has been through rehab before, obviously. I’m sure he could also hire someone to assist him in his recovery who is familiar with this type of injury. Hopefully a speedy recovery for him.
Did Verlander officially sign? I don’t recall an announcement by the Astros.
Is there any part of this guy’s body that hasn’t had surgery done on it?
“But even the doctor was kind of like, ’You guys are the pitching experts.’”
That’s inspiring.