Impending free agent starter Jameson Taillon tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that he’s scheduled for flexor surgery next week. The veteran right-hander acknowledged there’s a chance he’ll also require an internal brace repair of his UCL.

The surgery seems likely to cost Taillon most or all of the 2027 season. (It’s highly likely he’d miss the entire year if there’s a ligament repair.) Taillon stressed that he’s going this route because he intends to get fully healthy and continue his career. The former second overall pick turns 35 in November and would be eyeing a comeback for his age-36 campaign if he’s out until 2028.

It doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as Taillon revealed two weeks ago that he was undergoing multiple opinions on the elbow injury that sent him to the shelf on September 4. He tells Davidi that the soreness hasn’t really subsided within the past month. While Taillon weighed non-surgical treatment plans, he decided to go back under the knife and hope for a late-career act after the operation.

Taillon has already twice undergone full Tommy John reconstructions — as a prospect in 2014 and again in August ’19 after he’d established himself as a big leaguer. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to require revisions or another full repair within five to seven years of a previous ligament surgery. It at least doesn’t appear Taillon will need a third full Tommy John reconstruction. Only three pitchers (Jason Isringhausen, Jonny Venters and Tejay Antone) are known to have returned to the big leagues after three Tommy John procedures. They’re all relievers.

This was the final season of Taillon’s four-year, $68MM free agent deal with the Cubs. The signing worked out reasonably well for Chicago, as he pitched at a mid-rotation level for the first three seasons. The wheels fell off this year. Taillon was blitzed for an earned run average close to 6.00 across 15 starts. He missed most of June to a hamstring strain and was designated for assignment around the trade deadline. Chicago traded the Canadian-born righty to the Blue Jays in a change of scenery deal.

The elbow limited Taillon to three starts as a Blue Jay. He gave up four runs on nine hits across 10 innings. Taillon did make a couple adjustments to his pitch mix — most notably scaling up his cutter in place of his changeup — but didn’t really get an opportunity to put them into practice. It’s possible the Jays will look to bring Taillon back as a depth option on either a cheap two-year deal or a one-year guarantee with a club option to gauge his rehab.