Jameson Taillon says he's "100 percent" ready to pitch Monday for the Pittsburgh Pirates, should the team call him up for his first start since being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
"Physically, mentally I'm 100 percent. I'm as sharp as I've been all year," Taillon said Saturday. "If anything, I had some time while I was away to work on things that I wanted to get done and sharpen up, so I'm probably in a better spot now than I was before."
Taillon had surgery on May 8 to treat his testicular cancer and since then has made three rehab starts. Last week, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said the plan was to get Taillon three starts in the minors.
According to multiple reports, Taillon will make his return to the club to start Monday's home game against the Colorado Rockies.
While Taillon seems headed for a return, the Pirates demoted two other pitchers, Tyler Glasnow and Dovydas Neverauskas, to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday.
The moves came one day after Glasnow allowed seven runs -- six earned -- in just four innings against the Miami Marlins. The highly touted Glasnow is 2-6 with a 7.45 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Taillon, 25, said he's "pleased" with where he's at given his diagnosis a little over a month ago.
"It starts out you just hope for any good news back and you get that. Then you're able to throw and then once you're able to throw you keep getting good news back," Taillon said. "I was able to get back on the bullpen mound and once I threw some good bullpens I was ready for rehab. Truly that one-step-at-a-time deal really rings true with me right now and all those steps added up and here I am."
The right-hander is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA in six starts this season.