Jameson Taillon Doing 'Better Than Expected' After Comebacker Off Forearm
ANAHEIM — With Jameson Taillon's injury history, a comebacker off his right forearm on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium had the Yankees right-hander thinking to himself, here we go again.
One day later, however, it looks like Taillon (and the injury-ravaged Yankees) dodged a bullet.
Taillon exited his start after just six outs early in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Angels. The final pitch he threw—his 33rd of the night—was rocketed back at him, a 91.3-mph line drive off the bat of outfielder Magneuris Sierra. With little time to react, the ball caromed off the outside of Taillon's forearm, above the wrist.
Replays showed Taillon visibly in discomfort as he walked off the field.
After the game, an X-ray on Taillon's forearm came back negative, a sigh of relief considering the pain and swelling the starter was experiencing in the immediate aftermath of the injury scare.
"I was a little worried there at first," Taillon said after the game. "We've just been treating it and I've already seen some improvement."
That improvement continued into Wednesday, leading up to the Yankees' series finale in Anaheim. Manager Aaron Boone said that all parties involved are encouraged about how Taillon's forearm is doing less than 24 hours later.
"He kind of felt like it feels better than he expected," Boone said, divulging that the swelling hasn't completely gone away just yet. "So we'll see how the next couple of days go here and hopefully he'll be in position to make his next start. But we'll know more in the next day and a half."
The plan for Taillon is to play catch on Thursday in Tampa during New York's off day. That'll give the team a better idea as to whether or not the right-hander can make his next start when it's his turn to go in the rotation.
Losing Taillon for an extended period would've been a significant blow. There are 11 pitchers currently on the Yankees' injured list, among those on New York's 40-man roster. Two are also from the starting rotation: Nestor Cortes (groin strain) and Luis Severino (lat strain).
The good news is that both of those aforementioned hurlers are quickly working back. Cortes threw a bullpen on Wednesday at Angel Stadium and Severino is schedule to begin his latest rehab assignment on Friday night with the Low-A Tampa Tarpons.
Taillon has had an up-and-down campaign in 2022, posting a 3.97 ERA over 26 starts (including his abbreviated outing on Tuesday). The right-hander said Tuesday night that he's unsure if he'll be able to make his next start, but that he's definitely going to try. More than anything, he's happy he doesn't need to add a fractured right forearm to the laundry list of injuries he's battled over the course of his pro career.
"It's nice to finally catch a break. Or, not a break," he said, with a smile.
MORE:
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- Aaron Boone Reacts to Mike Ford's Controversial Home Run Celebration
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