Pirates' Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon deal with injuries, uncertainty

Polanco wants to play desperately sometime over the final two months of this season, but only if he can “be me.” This season is over for Taillon, and it could get worse.

Taillon will see orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Altchek on Monday in New York City, with the possibility of hearing those dreaded words for the second time in his career: Tommy John. If he needs that surgery, it would mean he won’t pitch again until 2021. He had the surgery April 9, 2014, and he didn’t pitch again until April 13, 2016.

Both players spoke to reporters Thursday morning before the Pirates’ game at PNC Park against the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I’m not happy at all,” Polanco said, “because I want to be on the field helping the team. Right now, the shoulder is still very tight. My range of motion is not there.”

He’ll do nothing for the next 10 days and start swinging a bat after that to test the shoulder. He admits he returned too soon this year from the surgery he had Sept. 12.

“There is no maybe. Obviously, I came back too early,” he said, “but it’s nothing I regret because I wanted to play to help the team.”

Polanco played in his first game April 22, within the initial timeframe announced after he had surgery. But he was only hitting .242 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 42 games when he was returned to the injured list June 22.

“I felt good to play when I came back,” he said. “Things didn’t work out.”

During his recent rehab assignment in Indianapolis, Polanco reached across the plate for a slider from a left-handed pitcher and felt something wrong with his shoulder. He will be cautious about returning, which will be a test of his patience.

“I don’t want to be 50 percent. When I come back to play, I want to be 100 percent,” he said. “I can’t say I won’t play this season. I can’t say that. It’s how I feel in two, three weeks.

“At the same time, I don’t want to be in a rush. When I play I want to go out there and be me.”

Taillon said he is ready to accept whatever recommendation he hears from Altchek. But he’s frustrated after recently being encouraged during rehab.

“Starting a throwing program. It was really nice to see the ball fly for a couple days,” he said. “I was pretty encouraged by some of the things I was doing mechanically.”

But he said the recurrence of symptoms “brought to light that there is still something that’s not quite right in there.”

A cancer survivor, Taillon said, “I’ve come back from a lot worse, so I’ll be OK.”

If new images of his arm show the problem is centered in the forearm more than the elbow, Tommy John surgery could be avoided.

“We’re hoping it’s the same thing we’ve seen on images in the past (flexor strain),” he said. “We’re not 100 percent sure, but I’m holding out hope and crossing my fingers that it’s the flexor still.”

Taillon has been working with trainers on, possibly, changing the mechanics of his throwing motion to ease pressure on his arm.

“Besides that, just working out, doing cardio and trying to stay sane,” he said.

“I’ve come to grips with whatever it is. I’m just ready to start healing and getting back and, hopefully, get ready for next year.

If I have to pivot from that mindset, I will and I’ll be back and I’m going to find a way to get better through this.”

Note: The Pirates returned rookie pitcher Luis Escobar to Triple-A Indianapolis and recalled Alex McRae, who was with the team earlier this season. He was the emergency replacement last month when Joe Musgrove was ejected in the first inning in Atlanta, giving up eight runs (six earned), six hits, three homers and four walks in 4 1/3 innings.

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