PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones will miss an extended period of time following surgery.
The Pirates announced that Jones underwent right elbow surgery in Dallas, with Dr. Keith Meister performing a procedure to repair his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL).
They also announced that he will miss up to 10-12 months, keeping him out until March-May 2026, which will see him pitch again for the Pirates.
Jones felt discomfort in his right elbow in March, which saw him miss his final Spring Training start, after making four appearances and pitching 12 innings in the Grapefruit League.
He suffered a UCL sprain, but after tests and consultations, the plan Jones went with had him not pitching for six weeks and then working back to pitching again this season, since the ligament was intact.
Jones started throwing again at the end of April and hopes to get back to pitching off a slope, but after he suffered a setback, dealing with pain once he was throwing up to 100 feet, he went back to decide his future. His meeting with Dr. Meister resulted in him agreeing to undergo surgery.
He had a strong start to the 2024, with a 2.39 ERA over nine starts. He eventually dealt with a right lat strain, that kept him out from early July to late August from pitching for the Pirates.
This caused his form to worsen, as he finished the season with a 6-8 record in 22 starts, 4.14 ERA over 121.2 innings pitched, 39 walks to 132 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .232.
Pittsburgh currently has a starting rotation of right-handed pitchers Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, then left-handed pitchers Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney, at No. 3and No. 4, respectively. They also just brought up right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows as the fifth starter in place of Carmen Mlodzinski.
Pirates fans have been waiting for the right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler to join the team and make his MLB debut this season.
Chandler, the No. 2 prospect according to MLB pipeline, is 2-1 in nine starts, with a 2.17 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched, 56 strikeouts to 16 walks and an opposing batting average of .197 with Triple-A A Indianapolis.
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