Pirates' Jared Jones Addresses Long Injury Recovery

The internal brace surgery that Jones underwent isn't as invasive Tommy John surgery, which would've kept Jones out the rest of 2026 as well, but still requires working on the repairing the ligaments back to the bone, allowing it to heal, then augmenting it, making it stronger.

Jones didn't make the decision for the internal brace surgery, which Dr. Keith Meister completed in Dallas on May 21, but was happy that he will have a chance to come back earlier than he expected.

"Good story about that is it really wasn't my choice," Jones said. "I went into surgery not knowing what I was gonna get. We had decided that we didn't know what the UCL looked like. We couldn't get a good picture of it and what it looked like on the backside of the elbow. So we were made sure if I did get the hybrid surgery, this little ligament would have come out (left wrist) and they would have strapped that around it. I was aware of that or if it looked healthy enough we would've just slapped a brace on it. I woke up from surgery, looked at my wrist and had nothing there. I was like, 'Alright, sick. I got the better one.' 

Jones recently recevied clearance from Meister to start throwing again on Sept. 2 and has worked down with Vic Black at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., making the first big step of his recovery.

He'll stay down in Florida during the offseason as well, as he lives down in Florida, making it advantageous for both parties moving forward.

That first day wasn't easy for Jones, but once he got going, his fears subsided and got back to doing what he loves most.

"I feel like a kid on Christmas every single day I get to pick up a baseball," Jones said. "Four months off of not being a baseball player and just working out and rehabbing. It's been tough. Just being able to put a baseball in my hand and make a throwing motion again has been really, really fun."

The internal brace surgery will keep Jones out for about 10-12 months before he gets back to full-health, marking around March-May 2026.

He will start out 45-to-60 feet and then build up volume, with 25 throws and rests in between. The program will help him gradual program from 45 feet to 60 feet to 90 feet to 120 feet for the majority of the time, building up his strength.

Jones will then eventually full mound live sessions and live batting practices and sim games, which will get him to that original 10-12 month projection.

While Jones wants to go pitch as soon as possible, he understands that he'll need to be patient and get better each and every day, so that he's ready to take the mound for the Pirates once again.

“I wanna be back tomorrow throwing baseballs again, but I guess it all just depends on a whole bunch of different things," Jones said. "Whenever it’s my time to go, I’ll be ready.”