The good news for the Pirates: Jared Jones will not need surgery on his right elbow, sources told Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com.
The bad news: Jones reportedly will go six weeks without throwing, meaning he’ll still miss a large chunk of time to begin the 2025 MLB season.
Obviously, the Pirates can exhale a bit knowing one of their young stars avoided a season-ending procedure. Jones recently skipped a spring training start due to elbow discomfort and was sent for a second opinion — oftentimes an ominous sign for a pitcher — but the right-hander reportedly doesn’t have any ligament damage.
Jones’ elbow soreness first cropped up after a bullpen session March 16. He made four appearances during spring training, posting a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings, and was expected to be an integral piece of Pittsburgh’s rotation this season and beyond.
Jones still might make a sizable impact in 2025 — a year that could have major long-term implications for the Bucs — and entrench himself as one of the league’s best starters by season’s end. This undoubtedly represents a hiccup, though, as Jones figures to start the season on the injured list and ultimately will need to ramp back up before returning to game action.
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Jones, a second-round pick in 2020, went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts (121 2/3 innings) last season as a rookie. The 23-year-old could form a potent 1-2 combo with reigning Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes for the foreseeable future.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images