Just one day after being activated, Blue Jays right-hander Jameson Taillon is likely headed back to the injured list. He exited tonight’s start after just two innings, having allowed one earned run on a solo homer Bobby Witt Jr. The team announced that Taillon has right elbow discomfort. Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, the righty will undergo an MRI tonight and will likely be placed on the IL tomorrow.

Taillon spent three weeks on the IL starting August 11th with right forearm tendinitis, and he only just returned tonight. He also missed six weeks in June and July while with the Cubs, though that was for a strained left hamstring and unrelated to his arm. Still, any hint of elbow discomfort is notable given that Taillon has twice undergone Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays will have more details on the severity of the injury soon, pending the results of the MRI. For what it’s worth, Taillon told manager John Schneider that the injury felt more like a nerve issue than potential ligament damage.

Taillon, 34, has struggled through a career-worst season in 2026. After posting a 3.68 ERA in 23 starts last year, he’s regressed to a 5.68 mark in 17 starts this year. Most of that damage came while he was with the Cubs, as Taillon allowed a staggering 25 home runs in 76 innings. He allowed 24 homers all of last year while pitching over 50 more innings. Chicago designated him for assignment on July 27th, eventually upgrading their rotation through deals for Clay Holmes and then-Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman.

Since being traded to the Blue Jays, Taillon has only made three starts for his new club. The first two were fine enough. He allowed three earned runs in four innings on August 5th, then followed it with four scoreless frames on August 10th. His velocity dipped during that second start, which led to the IL stint for forearm tendinitis. Even if Taillon has a minimal IL stint this time around, he’ll only be back for one or two more starts at the end of September.

That wouldn’t be a huge blow for Toronto, as Taillon was a low-cost depth acquisition rather than a difference-maker. It will nonetheless deprive the Jays of some rotation depth as they try to fight their way into the playoffs. The team entered today a half game behind the Guardians for the final AL Wild Card spot. Toronto defeated the Royals 9-2, but Cleveland won both games of a doubleheader against the Tigers, so they’re now one game ahead of the Jays.

Dylan Cease is having a dominant season and is a contender for the AL Cy Young award. José Soriano has been serviceable behind him since coming over from the Angels. With Taillon temporarily out of the picture, the Blue Jays’ best options after Cease and Soriano are the 42-year-old Max Scherzer and lefty Spencer Arrighetti. The latter has a 4.82 ERA on the season, including a 6.55 mark in 11 innings with Toronto. Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Patrick Corbin are all on the IL. Yesavage might return by the end of the season, per the team’s official injury report, but there are no return timelines on Bieber or Corbin at the moment.

Photo courtesy of William Purnell, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)