Perhaps Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon will return earlier than expected from a right ankle operation.
The right-hander has been detailing his rehabilitation on social media and posted a short video of his latest progression on his Twitter account on Friday. Just two months and a week after surgery, Tallion has resumed throwing bullpens from flat ground.
In his latest video clip, Taillon fired a pitch to a net in an indoor facility while including a message that was an indicator of how good he feels:
“Launch without pain! A lot, a lot of work to get to this point, and even more work ahead to get where we need to be! Excited for every step of the journey. “
Taillon, 30, underwent surgery Oct. 28 to repair a torn ankle tendon. He was expected to be out of the game during the first weeks of the 2022 season if the lockout ends in time for it to start as scheduled, but a faster recovery has been a possibility.
Taillon has been pitching for at least a few weeks. On December 16, he tweeted a short video of himself throwing a rubber ball against a wall with his feet planted.
“This is one of my pairing / connecting exercises,” Taillon wrote. “It’s a low-impact way to keep my arm in shape while I can’t hit hard shots. Really excited to progress and accelerate rehab in the weeks / months to come! The ankle feels great! “
Traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Yankees on January 24, Taillon was 8-6 with a 4.30 ERA in 29 starts in 2021, his first season back from his second Tommy John surgery. He struck out 140 and walked 44 in 144 1/3 innings during a season that got off to a rocky start before improving long before sustaining an ankle injury in September.
Taillon was 1-4 with a 5.74 ERA in his first 12 starts, then 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA in his last 17.
Once Taillon is healthy, he is expected to be part of a projected Yankees rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery. Nestor Cortes and Domingo German are the top candidates for the other position along with youngsters Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.
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