NEWSLETTER
After a back issue in Spring Training cost him the start of the season, Jameson Taillon has been ramping back up across outings in Arizona, then a rehab start with Tennessee, and most recently with Iowa.
And after reaching the 68-pitch mark in his last outing and reportedly coming out of it feeling great, it sounds like he’s good to go:
So long as Taillon doesn’t show too much rust or isn’t too much worse for the wear on the delayed start, this is great news for the Cubs’ rotation (and probably bullpen, too). Although he had a really rough first half last year, Taillon’ second half was excellent. If the Cubs get that guy back, they’ll be in really good shape in the rotation by the time Justin Steele returns.
Taillon pitched yesterday, so he wouldn’t be on schedule to pitch again until the April 17 game against the Diamondbacks. As Counsell’s comment suggests, though, the Cubs might play with that date a little bit depending on the way the pitching fares this weekend and into next week.
As for whose job Taillon takes, it’s possible it won’t be anyone this first time through. Counsell could decide to give all the starters an extra day if the bullpen is fresh enough to accommodate it. If not, you would tentatively guess that Ben Brown would be the odd man out initially, with Javier Assad remaining in the rotation until Steele returns. (No, I don’t think the Cubs are going to bounce Kyle Hendricks just yet.) The Cubs might let Brown make one more start, and then either option him out for Taillon, or move him to the bullpen. He certainly has the look of a guy who can contribute right now, so I’d kinda hate to lose him from the staff, regardless of role.
