Jameson Taillon's return to the mound didn't last very long.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander was pulled two innings into his first game back from the injured list, throwing only 29 pitches against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
The 34-year-old looked to be strained after a few pitches in the second inning, and though he completed the frame, he was replaced by reliever Joe Mantiply in the bottom of the third.
The Blue Jays later announced he was pulled due to right elbow discomfort.
After the game, which the Blue Jays won 9-2, manager John Schneider told reporters that Taillon will undergo an MRI and is likely headed back to the IL.
Schneider also said Taillon reported that the discomfort in his elbow is different this time than last time.
Taillon was reinstated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday's showdown, having been sidelined since Aug. 11 with right forearm tendinitis.
He finished his outing with one earned run — a homer from Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. — on two hits with one strikeout.
Acquired from the Chicago Cubs ahead of this year's trade deadline, Taillon had made two starts for the Blue Jays before suffering the initial injury. In those two outings, the Canadian-American dual-citizen posted a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts and five walks in eight innings.
Before the trade, he recorded a 5.92 ERA over 15 starts before being designated for assignment by the Cubs.
Taillon has a history of elbow problems, having undergone Tommy John surgery twice over his 10-year career — once in 2014 as a prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system and again in 2019.
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