Taillon, who completed two innings of an intrasquad game Monday, is progressing well early in spring training. "More than anything, I'm excited that I'm not being treated differently and I'm moving along quickly," Taillon told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "In the back of my head I was a little worried that I would be throwing a little slower (routine) than most. But I'm pretty much on the same schedule as everybody else."

EDGE Analysis

He'll throw a bullpen session later in the week and then make a couple of appearances in the Grapefruit League. Taillon is expected to begin the season at Triple-A with a good chance of a midseason recall to Pittsburgh. He's missed much of the last two seasons, undergoing Tommy John surgery and hernia surgery. Early reports have Taillon throwing with the same velocity (96 mph) that he showed prior to getting hurt.