Blue Jays injury news: Taillon back on IL, Ponce and Corbin still "long shots"

The Toronto Blue Jays’ latest rotation problem became official Saturday (Aug. 5), when Jameson Taillon was placed back on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation one day after his abbreviated return against the Kansas City Royals. Taillon lasted only two innings and 29 pitches Friday before Toronto turned the game over to the bullpen, an alarming development considering he had just been activated after missing time with right forearm tendinitis.

According to reports, the Blue Jays sent Taillon’s MRI out for additional assessment and opinion before finalizing the diagnosis. Manager John Schneider did not want to definitively shut the door on Taillon pitching again this season, but acknowledged it is probably safe to assume his year is over, even while adding “but hopefully not.”

The injury is especially concerning because of Taillon’s history. The 34-year-old has already undergone Tommy John surgery twice in his career, once in 2014 while in the Pittsburgh Pirates system and again in 2019. Even if the Blue Jays are describing the current issue as inflammation rather than something more severe, any elbow concern for a pitcher with that background is always going to be tricky to navigate. Considering Taillon is also 34-years-old, the Blue Jays are probably looking at the worst case scenario for the dual citizen right-hander.

Toronto recalled Ricky Tiedemann from Triple-A Buffalo in the corresponding move, only one day after he had been optioned to make room for Taillon’s activation. Because Tiedemann is returning as the replacement for an injured player, he did not have to wait out the usual mandatory option period. His return gives the Blue Jays another left-handed arm, but it does not immediately answer the bigger question of who covers Taillon’s next rotation turn Wednesday in Sacramento.

Longer-term pitching updates on Cody Ponce and Patrick Corbin provide little relief for current rotation needs

In the meantime, Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling reported a couple of longer-term pitching updates that further show how thin Toronto’s rotation picture has become. Cody Ponce, who is dealing with a right knee injury, would only be an option again if the Blue Jays were to advance deep into October. Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, is considered a “long shot” to return this season because of his shoulder issue.

Ponce’s situation remains one of the more unfortunate blows of the year because of both the timing and the path he took to get back to the majors. The right-hander suffered a sprained right ACL during a 14-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies and was placed on the 15-day injured list at the beginning of April.

Corbin’s outlook does not sound much better. The veteran left-hander was originally placed on the 15-day injured list July 23 with a left teres major strain after pitching through discomfort around the All-Star break. He last appeared for Toronto against the Rays, allowing four runs over 2.1 innings, and had posted a 5.51 ERA across 19 games before being shut down.

John Schneider said at the time that Corbin had been “kind of battling through it,” adding that the team expected him to be shut down from throwing for multiple weeks while more imaging was completed.

Non-pitching injury update: Luis Urías shut down again

The Blue Jays also received a frustrating non-pitching injury update, as infielder Luis Urías re-injured his right quad before a scheduled rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin. Urías had been assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays on Sept. 3 as he worked his way back from the right quad strain that initially sent him to the 10-day injured list on Aug. 7, but that comeback attempt has now been paused.

The 29-year-old will be shut back down from baseball activity, which removes another depth option from Toronto’s infield mix. Urías was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in June and had appeared in 26 games before the injury, batting .250 with 13 hits, three home runs, eight RBIs and an .803 OPS.

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