Pitching-needy Pirates lose Jameson Taillon to shoulder injury
Taillon was placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder fatigue
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
The Pirates , who are already without Gerrit Cole and Ryan Vogelsong, have lost another starter to injury. The team placed young right-hander Jameson Taillon on the DL with a shoulder issue Monday.
The #Pirates have placed Jameson Taillon on the 15-Day DL with right shoulder fatigue. pic.twitter.com/fbXHUD4dqZ
— Pirates (@Pirates) July 4, 2016
Taillon, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft, flirted with a no-hitter in his second career starter after being called up a few weeks back. He's 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA (106 ERA+) in five starts and 28 innings this season. The Pirates brought him up to replace Cole, who is out with a triceps issue.
At the moment, the Pittsburgh rotation includes Francisco Liriano, Jonathon Niese, Jeff Locke, and Chad Kuhl. Those four have combined for a 5.07 ERA in 291 1/3 innings this season. Lefty Steven Brault will be called up to start Tuesday in place of Taillon. He'll be making his MLB debut.
The Pirates beat the Cardinals on Monday (PIT 4, STL 2) to improve to 42-41, though they're still 10 1/2 games back of the Cubs in the NL Central and three games back of the second Wild Card spot. It goes without saying they'll need their pitching to improve to climb back into the race.
That said, Taillon is a building block player for the Pirates, so they don't want to push him and risk further injury. They have to keep the big picture in mind, especially since Taillon did not pitch at all from 2014-15 due to Tommy John and hernia surgeries.
Cole and Vogelsong threw simulated games over the weekend and Cole will make a minor league rehab start Tuesday, so they're inching closer to a return.
