Pirates get some optimism regarding their young ace
When it was first reported that Jared Jones was out for the rest of Spring Training due to elbow discomfort and was seeking a second opinion, fans and analysts alike assumed the worst: the end of his season and possibly Tommy John surgery.
Usually, when you don’t receive an update from a club regarding an elbow injury for several days, that’s not a good sign either. But on Tuesday, Noah Hiles from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Jones had a UCL sprain in his right elbow, meaning that there are no torn ligaments and surgery is not required.
Jones will be prohibited from throwing for the next six weeks, but if his healing progresses well, he will begin a two-handed plyometric program in three weeks, according to Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk.
There is no specific timetable for Jones’ return, but it’s safe to assume that it would be mid to late June at the earliest if everything goes perfectly.
It is imperative that the Pirates are careful with Jones and do not rush him back. There have been many instances in the past of pitchers around the league who have come back from this kind of injury, only to end up getting re-injured and then requiring Tommy John surgery anyway. This would put Jones out for all of next year, too.
For now, the Pirates have avoided the worst and can at least hold onto hope that their ace will be ready to help make a possible playoff push in the summer months.