As the New York Yankees attempted to save a few bucks during the offseason, they turned to the Pittsburgh Pirates in an attempt to shore up their rotation. The oft-injured Jameson Taillon was brought in by trade, with the Yankees hoping that he would finally be healthy.
Taillon did his part last season, but that does not mean he was fully healthy. On Tuesday, it was reported that Taillon will undergo ankle surgery, sidelining him for another five months.
New York Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon goes under the knife again
The fact that Taillon was relatively healthy last season had to be considered a miracle. He made 29 appearances, but the fact that he had missed most of the previous two seasons was clear. Taillon would have a solid run, but would then begin to struggle.
His inconsistency was apparent when looking at his overall statistics for the 2021 season. He posted a 4.30 ERA and a 1.206 WHiP over his 144.1 innings, striking out 140 batters with 40 walks. Those are solid overall numbers, and certainly respectable for someone that had missed so much time.
The issue is that Taillon was expected to be more. He was needed to step right in as their third starter at worst, someone that the Yankees could be counting on. He may have been solid, and had the occasional excellent run, but the Yankees could not get what they needed from him. Taillon just was not ready.
And now, he may not be ready until later in 2022. That five month timeframe for game action would put him to the end of March, leaving little time to get ready. The Yankees are likely not going to have Taillon back until the beginning of May provided everything goes according to plan.
Jameson Taillon is going back under the knife. Once again, the New York Yankees will need to find another option in the rotation.