Pirates right-hander Jared Jones recently had a start skipped due to some elbow inflammation, leading to a series of tests. Per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jones does not have a torn ligament and will not require surgery. However, he will be shut down from throwing for the next six weeks.
About a week ago, manager Derek Shelton relayed to reporters that Jones had experienced the elbow discomfort. The club had already done some imaging but Jones was going to be sent for a second opinion. That’s generally not pleasant framing, as going for a second opinion generally means you didn’t like the first.
While they avoided the worst-case scenario of a surgery that would have sidelined him into 2026, the Bucs will be without arguably their second-best starter for quite some time. Jones won’t even resume until the first or second week of May at the earliest. He’ll likely require a 4-6 week buildup from there. He’d need to get through multiple bullpen and live batting practice sessions before he’s ready to go on a rehab assignment. Jones would likely need at least 2-3 minor league appearances before he’s ready for his season debut. He’ll miss most of the first half.
Jones is coming off a strong rookie year. The former second-round pick made 22 starts and tallied 121 2/3 innings of 4.14 ERA ball. He struck out 26.2% of opponents against a reasonable 7.7% walk rate. Jones might have worn down a bit as the season progressed. He took a 3.56 ERA into the All-Star Break but allowed nearly six earned runs per nine in the second half. He continued to miss bats at an above-average rate but saw a spike in his home run rate late in the year.
More to come.
