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Pirates' Jared Jones: Activated ahead of season debut
Rotowire
The Pirates activated Jones (elbow) from the 60-day injured list Friday.
Jones is set to make his season debut for the Pirates on Friday just over one year after undergoing UCL surgery on his right elbow. The 24-year-old pitched well in five rehab starts, logging a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings. Jones threw 76 pitches in his last outing, so he should be capable of a workload of 85-90 pitches versus Minnesota.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Set for season debut Friday
Rotowire
Pirates manager Don Kelly said Thursday that Jones (elbow) will return from the 60-day injured list and start Friday's game against the Twins at PNC Park, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Jones will be making his first appearance at the big-league level since he underwent UCL surgery last May. The right-hander looked sharp in five rehab starts, logging a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings. He went 4.1 frames and threw 76 pitches in his most recent outing with Triple-A Indianapolis last weekend, so while Jones should be able to reach five innings Friday if he pitches efficiently, he shouldn't be expected to work much longer than that. Expect the Pirates to manage Jones' workload after he missed all of the 2025 campaign.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Closing in on season debut
Rotowire
General manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Jones (elbow) will return to Pittsburgh and throw a bullpen session Tuesday before the Pirates determine whether he'll return from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
After making his previous two rehab starts at Double-A Altoona, Jones shifted his minor-league assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, when he tossed 76 pitches (47 strikes) while allowing three runs on two hits and three walks with six strikeouts across 4.1 innings. Jones missed all of last season due to a UCL injury in his right elbow that required surgery in May, but he's looked strong across his five rehab starts, logging a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 24:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings. If Jones checks out fine following Tuesday's side session, he could be activated from the IL as soon as Thursday.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Fifth rehab start on tap
Rotowire
Jones (elbow) will head to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday to make the fifth start of his rehab assignment, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
After making his last two appearances with Double-A Altoona, Jones will move back to Indianapolis this weekend for what the Pirates are hoping is the final rehab outing he'll require before coming off the 60-day injured list. The 24-year-old threw 67 pitches over 4.1 innings during his most recent outing for Altoona on Sunday and should continue building up his workload during his upcoming start with Indianapolis. Assuming the Pirates are comfortable with how Jones' surgically repaired elbow responds following Saturday's start, he could be cleared to make his 2026 debut with the big club as soon as May 28 versus the Cubs or May 29 versus the Twins, both of which would come in Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Turns in strong start with Altoona
Rotowire
Jones (elbow) threw four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out four in a rehab appearance with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, per MLB.com.
This marked Jones' third rehab start and was his longest outing. However, his pitch count remained stable, as he threw 52 total pitches, 36 of which went for strikes. Jones will likely make a few more rehab appearances; so far, he's allowed only one earned run across 10 innings while maintaining an 11:1 K:BB.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Set for third start with Double-A
Rotowire
Jones (elbow) will make a third start with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Jones will continue his minor-league rehab assignment, looking to build off the six innings of one-run ball that he's produced while striking out seven batters over his first two outings with Altoona. The 24-year-old is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list May 25, and it's possible that Tuesday will be his final start with the Double-A squad before taking his rehab to the Triple-A level.
Jones (elbow) allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out two across three innings in a rehab outing with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Jones threw 35 of his 54 pitches for strikes while sitting at 98.8 miles per hour with his fastball. The right-hander, who is working his way back from UCL surgery, is set to make at least a few more starts in the minors before being activated from the 60-day injured list, but the final steps of his recovery look to be on track.
Pirates' Jared Jones: Big velocity in first rehab start
Rotowire
Jones (elbow) struck out five over three perfect innings in his first rehab start with Single-A Bradenton on Wednesday.
Jones overwhelmed the A-ball hitters, regularly reaching 100 mph and hitting 101.1 mph on his final pitch of the first inning, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The right-hander required only 41 pitches as he cruised through his three frames. It's a very encouraging first rehab outing for Jones, who is coming back from internal brace surgery that he had last May. Jones is on the 60-day injured list and thus not eligible for activation until late May, so he will continue to deliberately build up stamina before rejoining the Pirates' rotation in a few weeks.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Beginning rehab assignment
Rotowire
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Jones (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Wednesday with Single-A Bradenton, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old has been throwing to live batters for a while and has now been cleared to pitch in games for the first time since undergoing an internal brace procedure to repair the UCL in his right elbow last May. Jones' rehab assignment will be a lengthy one, and since he won't be eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list until late May, the Pirates aren't in a major rush to build up his pitch count.
Jones (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Pitching coach Bill Murphy reported that Jones looked "amazing," though the team didn't release specific details about the session. Jones is expected to throw a few more live bullpen sessions before beginning a rehab assignment, and he continues to line up for a return in late May.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Uses full arsenal in live BP
Rotowire
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that Jones (elbow) made use of all of his pitches during his most recent live batting practice session April 6, MLB.com reports.
Jones has been conducting his rehab from UCL surgery at the Pirates' facility in Florida, but he has returned to Pittsburgh this week and is scheduled to throw a side session in front of the coaching and medical staffs Tuesday, per Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com. The Pirates haven't revealed a timeline for when Jones might be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment, but he could be ready to take that step soon since he's been able to face hitters in live BP for nearly two months. Jones won't be eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list until late May and will likely need close to the entire 30-day window to build up his pitch count during his rehab assignment.
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