Last week the New York Yankees got a good report for Luis Severino, saying that he is expected to be back to full strength in time for the start of the new baseball season. Severino spent the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery and other setbacks. But, recently, SNY’s Andy Martino reported:
“Luis Severino says he is already throwing bullpens and expecting to be ready to be a starting pitcher whenever spring training starts, by the way.”
This is great news for Yankee general manager Brian Cashman as he tries to put together his pitching rotation for the 2022 season. Now, Cashman must be delighted with new reports on Jameson Taillon, who pitched a brilliant August last season but fell short at the end of the season while gutting through an ankle tendon injury.
After a great August, his performance fell off in September, and he was unable to have a contributing role in the Yankees’ lone playoff game before the season wrapped prematurely with a loss in the Wild Card game against the rival Boston Red Sox.
The good news for Cashman is that Taillon is back on the mound for the first time, strangely at former Yankees Adam Ottavino’s pitching lab. Taillon, due to the December 1 lockout, has had a difficult injury rehab without the help of team doctors, That lockout is still ongoing as it looks day by day that the beginning of spring training will be delayed barring a last-minute miracle. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report this week to the spring training sites in Florida and Arizona.
The reports on Taillon in his first time pitching off the mound, Max Mannis of the American Society for Baseball Research said: It made him happy to see Jameson Taillon pitching off the mound at Adam Ottavino’s pitching lab in Harlem, New York. Taillon’s recovery from ailments was made much more arduous by the lockout, But now pitching off the mound is a very good sign for the New York Yankees as Taillon could be deadly against opposing teams with his two-seam pitch that he showed off within late relief at the end of the last season.
Taillon, who might be penned in at the number two spot, barring the Yankees picking up another sterling arm when the lockout is over, could be highly impactful going forward. His two-seamer and devastating curveball are his best pitches. Time will tell as the lockout is ongoing, but, as of now, things are looking good for Taillon and the Yankees.
The Yankees will feature ace Gerrit Cole when the season finally starts, likely following with Taillon and Severino. At the end of the rotation, the Yankees have several choices in Nestor Cortes Jr., Jordan Montgomery, and Domingo German. Beyond that, they have other capable arms, including Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt. The only thing remaining is if the Yankees will upgrade that rotation with a true number two starter, that will be most important when and if the Yankees reach the postseason.