INDIANAPOLIS — Jameson Taillon was joking around with his temporary Triple-A teammates, some of whom he played with last season.
He wants to find some normalcy in his life once again as a cancer survivor, but Taillon feels there’s a responsibility that comes with that title.
At the same time, he just wants to be “one of the guys” in the Pirates’ clubhouse.
Taillon’s next step toward reaching some level of normalcy will occur via his rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday against Gwinnett. It will be his second rehab start since being diagnosed with testicular cancer. He previously threw three innings with Double-A Altoona on Sunday.
“I want to return to normalcy, but at the same time I realize the responsibility that comes with going through something like this,” said Taillon, referencing the need to speak out and giving a platform for the topic. “Part of me really just wants to be normal and be one of the guys again, and be back in Pittsburgh. But another part of me is really embracing this process to get back, this process of healing and talking to other people. Trying to help people through whatever they’re going through.”
Taillon will not have a set pitch or inning limit in his second rehab start. Scott Mitchell, the organization’s senior pitching coordinator, will travel to Indianapolis for the game.
“In between every inning we’re going to sit down and talk and go over how I’m feeling,” Taillon said. “My goal, personally, would be to push back what I did last time. But if I’m at three innings and I’m tired, or it doesn’t feel right, we’ll bang it. And if I’m rolling I’m going to keep going out. We’ll assess inning by inning.”
In his first rehab start, which was with Double-A Altoona, Taillon threw 47 pitches in three innings. He only allowed one hit and one walk, but felt that work afterwards. That’s why Taillon realizes he needs to be honest with himself about his progress physically and embrace the rehabilitation process.
“I threw three sharp innings and I felt like I threw seven innings,” Taillon said. “No bad soreness, everything was good, but I needed a couple of extra days of recovery. I needed to really focus on getting my body back and feeling right. I realize I need to build my body back up. But as far as pitching and sharpness, I feel like I’m pretty close.”
Taillon will approach Friday’s rehab start with a mix of using a normal game approach, but not against working on specific pitches or scenarios if he thinks it might help him down the road.
“These numbers aren’t really going to show up on the back of my baseball card,” Taillon said. “If there’s anything out of my first seven starts in the big leagues that I thought I could sharpen up, I’d take it out here and work on it.”
For example, Taillon said he could possibly work on throwing his two-seam side fastball inside against lefthanded hitters.
“But I’m not going to get carried away with it,” Taillon said. “I’m really going to try to compete and work in all of my stuff like I normally would.”
Taillon will be familiar with the setup pitching for the Indians, making 10 starts with the team last season before being promoted to the major leagues. He had a 1.04 earned run average in his three starts at Victory Field last season.
“I enjoyed my time here,” Taillon said. “I always tell people it’s not the big leagues, but if you’re going to be in Triple-A, it’s the only city I’d want to be in.”
Taillon’s plan moving forward after Friday’s rehab start is unclear and will be evaluated afterwards. But he appears to be on a track for a tremendously quick return from a serious medical issue, with this rehab start being an indicator of just how quick he returns.
