PITTSBURGH – Pirates Opening Day starter Jameson Taillon, out for two months with an injured throwing elbow, is nearly ready to take a step forward in his rehabilitation.

Taillon will play light catch in a few days, he said on Wednesday afternoon. It will be his first time throwing a baseball since he was placed on the injured list on May 4 due to a right elbow flexor tendon strain. The right-hander has been sidelined since his May 1 start in Texas.

“We had to do a plyometric phase, where it’s throwing med balls and gripping exercises and stuff, so we wanted to make sure we didn’t rush past all that,” Taillon said. “Putting a ball in the hand is kind of the final step. We’re getting there.”

Taillon said he recently had some new imaging done on his elbow, and he came away “pretty encouraged” with the results. Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said surgery is not being discussed as an option at this point. Taillon said he has noticed improvement in his elbow over the past few weeks, specifically within the last several days.

“My goal is to pick up a ball and, if all goes well, progress back to pitching again this year,” Taillon said.

There is still a long, uncertain process ahead of him. Tomczyk echoed Taillon’s remarks by calling this latest development “very encouraging news” but also cautioned that they must see how Taillon responds to throwing. Even if everything goes well, it will be a matter of weeks – likely more than a month – before Taillon’s right arm is back in game-ready pitching shape.

“We have a limited amount of season left, but I view it as the opposite: There’s a lot of season left. Jameson’s in that same mindset as well,” Tomczyk said. “All the doctors have suggested to both Jameson and the medical team is let’s see where this goes, continue to prep for throwing and move forward. The throwing program is going to manifest a lot of things and bring a lot of things to light.”

Injury updates

Tomczyk provided the following updates in his weekly meeting with the media:

• Right fielder Gregory Polanco (left shoulder inflammation) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday. The stint in Indianapolis will carry through and likely beyond the All-Star break. Polanco has been hitting and throwing without restrictions.

• Reliever Keone Kela (right shoulder inflammation) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday afternoon. If he feels good on Thursday and Friday, Kela will pitch in a simulated game on Saturday at PNC Park.

• Catcher Francisco Cervelli (concussion) has still only been cleared to practice, not for game activity. The Pirates don’t anticipate any further updates regarding Cervelli until after the All-Star break. Cervelli’s current slate of baseball activities includes fielding ground balls, hitting, throwing and running bases – but not catching.

• Infielder Erik Gonzalez (left clavicle fracture) played in the fifth game of his Triple-A rehab assignment on Wednesday night. Tomczyk compared this stint to the start of another Spring Training for Gonzalez, who has been out since April 20.

• Right-hander Rookie Davis (forearm tightness) has resumed playing catch on flat ground in Bradenton, Fla.

• Pitching prospect J.T. Brubaker (right elbow inflammation) will be shut down for four to six weeks after seeing Dr. James Andrews last week.

• Reliever Nick Burdi is resting at home after undergoing surgery on June 25 to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. Right-handers Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana, working their way back from Tommy John surgery, are expected to throw off the slope of the mound for the first time in late July or early August. Burdi, Kuhl and Santana will return in 2020.

Draft signings

The Pirates on Wednesday announced that they signed two more players selected in last month’s MLB Draft: 23rd-round outfielder Jasiah Dixon, who attended the same California high school as Gerrit Cole and Jason Martin, and 32nd-round outfielder Jake Wright from Coastal Carolina University.

Dixon will begin his professional career with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates, while Wright was assigned to Rookie-level Bristol.

The Bucs have signed 37 of their 42 selections, including 30 of their top 31 picks.