Taillon made his Grapefruit League debut Monday, retiring six of seven Boston batters while striking out the final three hitters he faced.
Taillon's line from 2017 wasn't special ( 4.44 ERA, 1.48 WHIP), but an xFIP of 3.89 and 125:46 K:BB in 133.2 innings show that there's reason to expect improvement. In-season treatment for testicular cancer made for a trying set of circumstances, but the righty limited opponents to two runs or fewer in five of his final six starts. While his peripherals figure to improve in 2018, he could find wins difficult to come by as the Bucs' No. 1 or No. 2 starter (following the departure of Gerrit Cole) behind a weak offense. Nevertheless, Taillon makes for a good rebound candidate in 2018.