Pittsburgh Pirates News: Jameson Taillon Will Not Pitch in 2020

It was expected that starting pitcher Jameson Taillon would miss the entirety of the 2020 season.  That remains the plan even if the season extends late into the year.

Last June, the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fanbase got stunning news that potential ace Jameson Taillon would undergo Tommy-John surgery.  What made this so stunning was the fact that this would be Taillon’s second time undergoing this career-altering operation.  This obviously was a big blow to the team who was relying on Taillon to take that next step into being the team’s number one in the rotation.

Taillon underwent successful surgery on August 14th and the timeline for Tommy-John is usually around 15 months, but it sometimes can take up to 18 months.  The right-hander has been through the rehab process before so there was confidence that his rehab could move along more quickly.  Furthermore, with the current suspension of the season and the potential for the season to run into the winter months, some Pittsburgh Pirates fans started to wonder if he could make it back for the end of the season.

Apparently, the Pittsburgh Pirates are making the decision already.  Taillon has been told by the organization that he will not pitch in 2020 regardless of what happens with the schedule.  Adam Berry, the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB.com beat writer, talked to Taillon about the decision.  Taillon told Berry in a conference call:

"“The big thing is that, coming off the surgery and coming off No. 2 in particular, if the season gets pushed back into October or November, whatever it is, that would give me a shortened offseason going into next year.  The thinking here, long term, is that we don’t want to risk shortening my offseason and cutting into my offseason rehab, therapy, throwing, all that. I’ve thought about it, but I get shut down pretty quickly every time I bring it up.”"

It is great to see Taillon hungry to get back on the mound, however, the organization is making the right decision.  He is coming back from his second Tommy-John surgery and everyone involved needs to handle it correctly.  Coming back from TJS a second time is considered to be even less likely than the first time, so the more rest and rehab Taillon gets the better.  With that being said, hopefully, he will be 100 percent healthy and ready to go for the start of the 2021 season.