Chicago Cubs officials are still determining how serious starting pitcher Jameson Taillon’s hamstring injury is, but they’re confident the veteran right-hander will land on the injured list.
The 34-year-old pitcher exited Sunday night’s matchup against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning with a runner on base and no outs. Following a six-pitch walk to Matt Chapman that opened the second frame, Taillon called for medical staff to come to the mound.
Taillon was removed from the contest, limping noticeably as he made his way to the dugout and down into the clubhouse. Javier Assad took over pitching duties, throwing 6 1/3 innings without allowing a run in what became a 2-1, 10-inning victory for San Francisco.
“It’s a left hamstring strain,” manager Craig Counsell said following the game. “Imaging tomorrow … it’s an IL. We’ll get more information tomorrow (regarding) severity and maybe an idea of a timeline.”
Taillon expressed cautious optimism about his long-term outlook while accepting that he’ll be sidelined for some period.
“I don’t think it’s crazy,” Taillon said to media members postgame. “Like, I’m walking around and moving around. Obviously, it will be an IL stint but, hopefully, we can keep the arm conditioned and moving around. … But I don’t it’s surgical or anything like that. I’m getting an MRI tomorrow and we’ll know more.”
Going into Sunday’s contest, Taillon held a 2-5 record with a 5.19 ERA through 67 2/3 innings over 13 starts this season.
During his fourth campaign with Chicago, Taillon has compiled a 33-30 record with an ERA slightly over four across 94 appearances (93 starts) for the Cubs.
Throughout his 10-year major league career, he has posted an 84-65 record with a 3.94 ERA while playing for the Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates (2016-19) and New York Yankees (2021-22).
