The injury bug has reached the Pirates rotation. Right-hander Jameson Taillon was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday because of groin discomfort unrelated to his 2015 hernia surgery. Taillon joined Antonio Bastardo, Adam Frazier and David Freese on the disabled list.
Right-hander Trevor Williams will step into the empty spot in the rotation and start Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Williams has a 5.40 ERA in 11⅔ innings this season. He did not win the fifth-starter battle in spring training but made the opening-day roster as a long reliever.
The Pirates recalled right-hander Josh Lindblom from Class AAA Indianapolis to take Taillon’s place on the active roster. Lindblom signed as a minor league free agent in January following two seasons spent in the Korean Baseball Organization. After attending major league spring training as a non-roster invitee, he had a 2.50 ERA in five games, four starts, for Indianapolis.
Lindblom, 29, pitched for four major league teams from 2011-14 and posted a 3.82 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 136⅔ innings. The Pirates selected Lindblom off waivers in December 2014 but released him 11 days later when he elected instead to relocate his family to South Korea.
Lindblom will be a multiple-inning option in the Pirates bullpen.
Taillon was sharp in April, allowing just seven runs in 30⅓ innings over five starts. He stumbled Wednesday in Cincinnati, giving up six runs — on two three-run home runs — in a 7-2 loss. Since the disabled list trip is retroactive to Thursday, Taillon is eligible to return May 14.
Injuries are especially concerning for Taillon. The second-overall pick in 2010, Taillon reached Class AAA before undergoing Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery in 2014. During his rehab process the following year, he injured his hernia and had season-ending surgery.
Last year, however, Taillon was healthy. Promoted mid-season to the majors, he was one of the Pirates’ most consistent pitchers in a rough year for the rotation. In 24 career starts, Taillon has a 3.36 ERA and 115 strikeouts to 30 walks in 139⅓ innings.
Taillon was not available for comment before or after the Pirates game Saturday. Manager Clint Hurdle said only that he was alerted to the injury recently by the team’s head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk.
Dodging Kershaw
The Pirates will face two Los Angeles Dodgers left-handers next week, but not ace Clayton Kershaw. Left-hander Alex Wood will start Monday opposite Williams, and rookie left-hander Julio Urias will pitch Saturday against the veteran right-hander Ivan Nova.
Suit up
As they did last season, the Pirates will wear Penguins jerseys for their flights to and from Los Angeles. All players, regardless of which hockey team they grew up rooting for, are required to rep the Penguins. The players shopped Saturday. Nova picked up a Sidney Crosby sweater.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: May 6, 2017, 11:15 p.m.
