The Pittsburgh Pirates got a scare this week when Jared Jones reported elbow discomfort after his Sunday bullpen session, and now the young right-hander is shut down for the rest of Spring Training. The team’s still waiting on a second opinion after imaging, leaving Jones’ status up in the air as Opening Day looms. It’s a tough break for a Pirates rotation that’s already taken some hits, and fans are bracing for what this could mean for their 2025 season.
Jones, one-third of Pittsburgh’s “big three” alongside Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, is coming off a solid rookie year where he went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and racked up 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. He’d been looking sharp this spring, fanning 17 over 12 innings while showing off a new two-seam fastball that had hitters on their heels. But after feeling off post-bullpen, the Pirates aren’t taking any chances. “This is normal standard protocol,” said senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. “When any pitcher comes to the medical staff with a concern of not recovering well, we want to be thorough, we want to be comprehensive.” He stressed that the team’s still gathering info, adding, “I don’t want to be an alarmist at this point in time. We are still learning.”
Manager Derek Shelton confirmed Jones won’t make his next spring start, saying, “We’re going to have to look at what happens going into the season.” The Pirates are hoping for clarity soon, but for now, they’re in a holding pattern. Losing Jones for any extended stretch would sting—his stuff and intensity are hard to replace. He already missed time last year with a right lat strain, sitting out most of July and August, and the rotation’s depth is looking thin. Johan Oviedo’s on the 60-day IL with a right lat injury while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Bailey Falter was scratched from a start last week with soreness, though he felt good after pitching Monday.
The Pirates do have some promising arms waiting in the wings. Thomas Harrington, ranked No. 79 among MLB prospects by MLB Pipeline, stepped into Jones’ spot on Tuesday and looked solid, striking out three. Relievers Carmen Mlodzinski and Caleb Ferguson have also gotten looks as starters this spring. But none of them bring the same firepower as Jones, whose 98-mph fastball and wipeout slider make him a cornerstone of this staff. For now, all the Pirates can do is wait for the second opinion and hope their young star is back on the mound soon—because a rotation without him is a tough sell for a team looking to take a step forward in 2025.
