
Things were just too good to be true with this rotation.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Jared Jones has been shut down for the rest of Spring Training, and will miss his last scheduled start of the pre-season. At this point, the team is still trying to figure out the severity of the injury, waiting for a second opinion to formulate a plan for treatment and timetable for when Jones can throw again.
Jones reported to the team that he was dealing with elbow soreness following his latest bullpen session, and the elbow is just not healing like it should to this point. Manager Derek Shelton confirmed that he will not pitch again in the Spring.
“He’s not going to make his next start in Spring Training. That’s for sure,” Shelton said. “I think, with that being said, we’re going to have to look at what happens going into the season.”
.@_NoahHiles shares what Derek Shelton said about Jared Jones’ elbow discomfort. Who could replace Jones in the rotation if he misses time? #Pittsburgh #Pirates
Listen: https://t.co/ae125yDiUL pic.twitter.com/lSEx6t01rl
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) March 19, 2025
The team’s senior director of sports medicine, Todd Tomczyk, added that there is still a lot of work to be done before an official prognosis is formed.
“This is normal standard protocol,” Tomczyk said. “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. I don’t want to be an alarmist at this point in time.”
With no set return date for Jones at this time, many are speculating the possible moves that the team will make to further insure their rotation. Johan Oviedo has already been placed on the 60-day IL for a lat injury, and with Jones sidelined as well the starting pitchers are dwindling. Thomas Harrington is the number 79 prospect in baseball, and just made another Spring start on Tuesday, and remains in Major League camp. Of course there are several other top prospects in the wings as well, like Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, and Mike Burrows.
Pirates RHP Jared Jones will miss his final Spring Training start with right elbow discomfort. #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/xwNHLO0rM2
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 19, 2025
Jones enjoyed a lot of success in his rookie season last year, and this was supposed to be the next step in building on those flashes. Still though, the team awaits further confirmation as to what the injury could be and how long he will be sidelined for.
“We’re still in the process of learning as much as we possibly can. We don’t have an official diagnosis, don’t have an official prognosis at this time, so we’re still in the early learning stages of this for Jared,” said Tomczyk.