Apr. 16—Spending a year away from the game he loved — even in his home state of Arizona — was far from an always sunny experience for Lewis-Clark State pitcher Jace Taylor.

While recovering from an elbow injury and living in Surprise, Ariz., after his 2023 season in Lewiston, Taylor missed playing baseball. He missed his teammates.

"I realized that probably halfway through," Taylor said. "I had been playing organized sports since I was 7 years old and going a full year without having that in your life was a big adjustment, and I didn't like it. I was like, 'I need to get back to playing baseball as soon as possible.'"

That motivation manifested itself in his approach to his recovery and it has changed the way he goes about his business in the years since his Tommy John surgery, the senior said.

"I've improved a lot in just even my diet, my lifting and all aspects of taking care of my body," Taylor said.

That renewed focus has allowed Taylor to play the best baseball of his career this year. From the bullpen to his midseason role as the Warriors' Sunday starting pitcher, Taylor has thrived, posting a 1.23 earned run average through 22 total innings and nine appearances, four of which were starts. Taylor has allowed just six runs (three earned) and posted a 2-1 record.

His inning count and 28 strikeouts are single-season career highs, surpassing the 27 strikeouts he recorded in 16 1/3 innings last year.

So, what does Taylor love about baseball?

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"Everything," said the right-hander from Cornville, Ariz., listed at 6-foot-5, 205-pounds, "I loved everything about it. I love throwing, hitting, fielding. I don't know, I just fell in love with it as soon as I started playing it. I think it was my dad's love for the game that probably wore off on me a little bit because I was real small."

Taylor said his father, Chip Taylor, told him stories of his little league and high school playing days. So, when Taylor experienced a growth spurt in high school and was tabbed as a pitcher, his dad was quite excited.

With his height a clear advantage, Taylor said he entertained the notion of playing college basketball, rather than baseball. He did not have a solid role on his high school's varsity baseball squad until his senior year, but it was more than enough for him to get a call from Yavapai Community College (Ariz.).

Taylor struck out 15 through 13 1/3 innings with Yavapai in 2022, helping his team to a region title and district runner-up finish.

When he was looking for another school, Taylor said he got two offers: One from Ottawa — a brand-new NAIA program in Arizona — and LC State.

One of his Yavapai coaches, who had played for Western Oregon, told him about LC State and its winning tradition.

With both his parents U.S. Army veterans, Taylor said he is used to strict routines and high expectations.

That made the LC State baseball program a natural fit.

"I like that aspect of it — just grinding it out with your teammates," Taylor said. "(It) just brings you closer going through tough times. You have no choice but to lean on each other."

Taylor struck out 13 batters through 8 2/3 innings during his first year in Lewiston and appeared to be well on his way to contributing to a very talented LC State baseball team that ended up a national runner-up in the 2023 Avista NAIA World Series.

Unfortunately, his season lasted just five games before he suffered a UCL tear.

To recover from the injury, Taylor moved back to Arizona. The experience "wasn't bad," he said as he got closer to the other athletes from programs across the country who were recovering at the Surprise facility.

He also lived in a house with some of his high school friends. They were former baseball players and helped him throw and work out outside of the facility.

Prior to Taylor's return to Lewiston for the 2025 season, the Warriors had failed to reach the World Series while he was away in 2024.

As the team strived to return to the pinnacle of NAIA baseball, Taylor's ERA ballooned to 5.51, because of two particularly sour outings in which he allowed three earned runs — first at British Columbia on March 2, 2025, and again against College of Idaho on April 13.

However, he recorded seven shutout appearances, including a masterful three innings of scoreless baseball when his team's proverbial back was against the wall in the Warriors' season-ending loss to Wayland Baptist in the Opening Round on May 12.

With an up-and-down season under his belt and a full year of working with pitching coach Brandon Vial, Taylor is finding steadier results in 2026.

A big emphasis for LC State coach Jeremiah Robbins, in the first year of his second stint after a six-year tenure that featured three consecutive national championships in the mid-2010s, is tapping the potential of guys on the roster who have the talent but possess limited experience.

"He's growing as we speak," Robbins said of Taylor. "He's a beast. He's 6-foot-5, about 225 pounds, so just getting his mind right was the biggest thing we've done this year, letting him settle into a role for us. And he's taken advantage of it."

Taylor, already armed with a mid-90 mph fastball, has been working on a new pitch — the cutter — with Vial playing a key role in Taylor's development.

Through nine appearances, including three in which he has covered at least three innings, Taylor has not allowed double-digit runs.

Taylor said that Robbins and his staff set their expectations in August during fall camp and conduct practices in a way that makes the games themselves easier.

That doesn't mean the pressure is not there. Rather, Robbins has armed Taylor and his teammates with the tools to handle it.

"It's easy to get caught up in the expectations of this program," Taylor said. "The 19 national championships is a heavy load to carry. You're expected to win it all, which is a lot and you can get caught up in that sometimes. So it's important to take a step back and relax and really settle down and get into a groove. I think that's helped me a lot."

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

PHILADELPHIA — The Chicago Cubs have lost another pitcher for the season.

Right-hander Porter Hodge, who had been dealing with a flexor strain since early in the spring training, suffered a setback in his rehab and will undergo season-ending ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery Monday. Right-hander Cade Horton is scheduled to have his elbow surgery Thursday. Dr. Keith Meister will perform both procedures.

The extent of Horton’s and Hodge’s surgeries and potential timeline for their return won’t be known until Meister goes in and determines the level of damage to their UCLs.

“My process is probably very similar for both guys where you just immediately feel sorry for the player, but then you process, OK, who’s up next, and you kind of have to move on quickly mentally,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Wednesday. “It kind of sounds coldhearted, but that’s the nature of the job that we’ve had a lot of injuries early on. The season goes on, the games go on, you have to find replacements. And sometimes I look at it as an opportunity that maybe a guy steps up we didn’t expect and then when everyone gets healthy, all of a sudden you have another reliever you weren’t counting on.

“But it’s certainly been a trying time for us from an injury standpoint, and we just have to fight through it and try to get healthy.”

The Cubs hoped Hodge, 25, would be an important part of the bullpen following a disappointing 2025 when he had a 6.27 ERA in 36 appearances and missed time with injuries. Hodge showed his potential during his 2024 rookie season, posting a 1.88 ERA and nine saves in 39 games.

“He’s super talented, he’s physical, has a great fastball and great slider when he’s right and he hasn’t quite been right really since I guess last May, and so maybe that’s a big part of it,” Hoyer said. “And some guys come back even better from this. So unfortunately we won’t have him for a while, but hopefully he bounces back strong.”

The Cubs are trying to survive this challenging stretch as they have been decimated by pitching injuries. The organization will evaluate if there is anything they can identify to explain the volume of injuries so early in the season, but, as Hoyer noted, a lot of pitchers get hurt these days.

“We’ll do a deep dive and see if there’s a commonality to the injuries,” Hoyer said. “I feel like the last couple years coming out spring training we haven’t had these issues and then all of a sudden this year, we’re 17 games in, and we have this many injuries. So I certainly hope the pace slows — and hopefully we can get some of these guys back and start the process of kind of rebuilding that.”

They have 10 pitchers from their 40-man roster on the injured list. That group does not include top prospect Jaxon Wiggins, who went on the IL at Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday with right elbow inflammation. Manager Craig Counsell said the Cubs believe Wiggins should be OK after giving his arm a little down time. The Cubs don’t want Wiggins to throw until he’s asymptomatic, whenever he gets to that point.

“With everyone early in the year, you need to be conservative,” Hoyer said. “I mean, I think that’s with a lot of these guys, there’s zero benefit of pushing guys early in the season when we have hopefully six-plus months to play.”

Counsell provided multiple injury updates on sidelined pitchers before Wednesday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.

RHP Hunter Harvey

Harvey (right biceps inflammation) hasn’t been doing much activity since landing on the IL last week. Counsell said he will need more than the minimum 15 days, adding there’s “no bad news, we’re still in the same place, but probably more in the strengthening mode right now.”

RHP Phil Maton

Maton (right knee tendinitis) continues to improve each day and is in a good place with his knee. The plan is for Maton to throw off a mound during the upcoming homestand and see where that leads. Maton hasn’t stopped throwing since being placed on the IL a week ago. “It’s really a matter of how long does it take to get the arm back to game condition, essentially recovery condition, where he can recover enough to be a member of the bullpen,” Counsell said.

LHP Jordan Wicks

Wicks (left elbow inflammation) is at Iowa and scheduled to pitch Saturday. He has been sidelined since early in spring training and has been in buildup mode the last few weeks. Wicks’ return would give the Cubs much-needed starting pitching depth at Iowa.

LHP Matthew Boyd

Boyd (left biceps strain) will join Iowa for a rehab start Thursday in Columbus, Ohio, putting him on track to come off the IL to rejoin the rotation. Counsell said that lines up Boyd to start “probably Wednesday-ish” against the Phillies at Wrigley Field.

RHP Trent Thornton

Thornton (Achilles tear), who signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs in the offseason that brought him to camp as a nonroster invitee, is heading to Iowa, where he will throw a few more simulated games. Counsell estimated Thornton, 32, is about a week away from getting into Triple-A games. Thornton had a 4.68 ERA in 33 games for the Seattle Mariners before suffering a torn left Achilles at the end of July.

RHP Kyle Wright

Wright (right shoulder strain) came into spring training as another potential bounce-back arm after dealing with injuries the last couple of years, including a right shoulder issue and oblique injury last year. Wright remains in Arizona throwing in sim games, which means he is still in the early stage of his throwing-program buildup.

For the next seven to 10 days, Counsell won’t be able to fully go with the best matchups out of the bullpen with five lefties and just three right-handers available. Triple-A depth is starting to get healthy, too, with right-hander Corbin Martin coming off the IL on Sunday after dealing with back spasms and getting into Tuesday’s game, while right-hander Collin Snider (arm fatigue) is expected to pitch for Iowa in the next day or two.

“There’s being opportunities created for other guys, and through this process, we’re going to find some guys that are going to help us this year and so that’s how you’ve got to look at it, that’s what’s going on,” Counsell said. “There’s some guys that have already made you take notice a little bit, and that’s a great thing, that’s a positive out of all this.”

It is one thing to find an MLB hitter struggling. It is another thing to find them injured and not playing at all. The injury report will be important from start to finish throughout the entire 2026 season. As of now, these key players are battling injuries and are included in the Week 3 Injury Report.

Jackson Holliday (BAL)

The Orioles will have to wait on Holliday's return. He will not be back this week as previously hoped, and Holliday's return will now be expected by May 1st.

Adley Rutschman (BAL)

The Orioles were happy with Rutschman's MRI results. He remains on the IR, but with a return hopefully over the next 1-2 weeks (ankle).

Jeremy Pena (HOU)

The Astros continue their injury woes with Pena. He works through a knee injury and is held out of the lineup on the 10-day IL. Pena's time spent out should not be overly long.

Mookie Betts (LAD)

Fantasy baseball owners have gotten promising news on Betts: he feels symptom-free. Betts is on the 10-day IL and will not return until at least April 24th.

Kyle Stowers (MIA)

The Marlins' star outfielder is going through his rehab games in Triple-A. The Marlins expect his return as soon as next week, fueling a run that we view as having breakout potential.

Christian Yelich (MIL)

The Brewers removed Yelich from Sunday's game with hamstring tightness. He remains off the IL, thus hoping to return as soon as Tuesday night.

Jackson Chourio (MIL)

Chourio is still not cleared with his hand fracture. Luckily, once it heals, he will be full strength. The return is unknown, but likely over the next 1-2 weeks.

Luis Arraez (SFG)

Arraez has a wrist injury of low-concern, avoiding the IL and hoping for a Tuesday lineup return.

Wyatt Langford (TEX)

The Rangers' breakout candidate avoided anything major with a quadricep injury. He will be back in the Tuesday night lineup as a must-start.

Addison Barger (TOR)

Barger has left his walking boot, and the teams expect his return to be right after the 10-day IL window closes.

George Springer (TOR)

Springer deals with a toe injury, forcing a 10-day IL stint. Springer is expected to be out for the minimum time.

More Fantasy Sports On SI News:

• Week 3 Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Must-Know Updates on Key Pitchers
• Top Landing Spots For Miami Hurricanes Quarterback Carson Beck In The 2026 NFL Draft
• 12-Team Dynasty Rookie First-Round Mock Draft: Carnell Tate Is The First Wide Receiver Off The Board
• Ryan Mountcastle Out for Potentially Several Months with Broken Foot

This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Week 3 Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Must-Know Updates on Key Hitters.