TORONTO -- Jameson Taillon left his Blue Jays home debut early after just four innings with right forearm discomfort, yet another blow to a rotation that cannot escape them.
Taillon was cruising against the Red Sox, too, which adds some salt to the wound. After a pair of walks in the first, Taillon had settled in nicely and allowed just one base hit on a chopper to third base. Following the fourth inning, though, there was a quick conversation in the dugout and Simeon Woods Richardson quickly began to warm in the bullpen.
While nothing was immediately evident on the field, Taillon’s velocity dipped noticeably in the fourth inning, his hardest pitch being a four-seamer that topped out at 90.1 mph.
“He said his forearm was a little tight getting some extension on cutters and sliders,” John Schneider said after the 2-1 win. “For a guy with an injury history, hopefully we can be proactive and I don’t want to take any chances with him. He’s going to get an MRI and check it out, so we’ll know more tomorrow and we’re hoping for the best. He was throwing the ball well.”
Taillon was acquired from the Cubs at the Trade Deadline, a minor move for the veteran who’d just been designated for assignment in the middle of a difficult season. Taillon represented a very sensible candidate to fill innings down the stretch, though, and there were reasons to believe in a short-term bounce-back from Taillon, whom the Blue Jays had serious interest in four years ago before he signed in Chicago.
This unfortunately falls in line with a cruel injury trend that this rotation hasn’t been able to shake in 2026. Coming into Spring Training, it looked like the Blue Jays had too many starting pitchers. Since then, this is what’s piled up:
Cody Ponce: Torn right ACL
José Berríos: Tommy John surgery
Shane Bieber: Right elbow inflammation, missed first 78 games
Trey Yesavage: Right meniscus injury
Max Scherzer: Right forearm, left ankle and back injuries
Patrick Corbin: Left teres major strain
Bowden Francis: Tommy John surgery
The Blue Jays’ bullpen has taken the brunt of this, which has really shown in recent days. Woods Richardson was brought up to protect against spots just like this, when multiple innings may be needed, and the Blue Jays could continue to churn through their depth options as they make every effort to protect the already heavy workloads of regulars like Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland.