In super scary news out of Pittsburgh, Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon is being treated for suspected testicular cancer, the team announced Monday.
“We have told Jameson that our only priority is his health and well-being,” general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “His teammates, our coaches, baseball staff and entire organization will support him in his recovery in every possible way, and we will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.”
Pirates announce Jameson Taillon was treated this morning at Allegheny General Hospital for suspected testicular cancer. pic.twitter.com/JLM3KpxEBQ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) May 8, 2017
Taillon tweeted a statement that suggested he had undergone surgery to remove a testicle.
“Today I lost a piece of my ‘manhood,'” he wrote. “But, today I’m feeling more like a man that I ever have.”
— Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon50) May 8, 2017
MLB tweeted that his treatment plan is pending further testing.
Taillon is the second Major League Baseball pitcher this season to receive treatment for testicular cancer, joining Rockies righty Chad Bettis.
Taillon, 25, is a promising young pitcher with a 3.36 ERA in 24 Major-League starts. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and later emerged as one of the top prospects in the game. He has already undergone a fair amount of adversity in his young career, including Tommy John surgery in 2014 and a scary come-backer last summer, though cancer is obviously a whole different beast.
This is an on-field blow to the Pirates, who have endured much misfortune in this young baseball season, but that’s trumped entirely by the off-field implications. Hopefully Taillon will be healthy and back on the mound before long.
