The Pittsburgh Pirates officially placed right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a right-elbow UCL sprain. For now, Jones will attempt to rest and rehab his UCL injury, but it doesn't mean he won't eventually need to go under the knife, which would officially end his 2025 season. In a best-case scenario, rest and rehab does the trick, but even then, the 23-year-old hurler probably wouldn't be in play to make his season debut for the Pirates until around June. The Bucs will shut him down from throwing for six weeks before he attempts to restart a throwing program and build his arm up. Expect Jones to be transferred to the 60-day IL eventually. With Jones sidelined, Carmen Mlodzinski won the fifth rotation spot in Pittsburgh, but it could only be a matter of time before pitching prospects Bubba Chandler and/or Thomas Harrington force their way into the big-league rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) received an official confirmation on his injury on Wednesday. It has been announced that Jones has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right elbow. That means, Jones avoided any ligament damage and won't require surgery. The plan remains for Jones to be shut down from throwing for the next six weeks. After that, Jones is going to require a few weeks to build up his arm strength and stamina. Fantasy managers should prepare to be without Jones until sometime in June. Carmen Mlodzinski will open the season in the starting rotation, but prospects Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington are waiting in the wings if called upon as reinforcements.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) will be shut down from throwing for the next six weeks. The good news is, Jones won't require surgery, so it doesn't appear he's in jeopardy of having a season-ending injury. The right-hander will need to build up his arm strength and stamina, so fantasy managers might not see Jones until June. Honestly, it's too early for a set timetable, but fantasy managers should prepare to be without Jones for at least a month and a half. The Pirates haven't said who will take his spot in the rotation, but Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington could possibly get the call to the big leagues early in the season.

MLB.com's Alex Stumpf writes that the Pittsburgh Pirates are still in the process of learning about the severity of right-hander Jared Jones' right-elbow injury. They have done imaging and are now waiting on a second opinion, according to director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. It's unclear when Jones might be able to resume throwing again. The hope is that the Pirates will either have a resolution or know what the next steps are for Jones in the coming days. What we do know is that the 23-year-old won't make his final spring training start, according to manager Derek Shelton. Jones is one of the team's big three starters alongside Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, so losing him for an extended period of time would be pretty devastating. Jones looked good as a rookie but did miss most of July and August with a lat strain. If Jones is forced to open the year on the injured list, Andrew Heaney could be his replacement.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) experienced elbow discomfort after his most recent bullpen session and will miss his final spring training start. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported the news. Jones pitched well in his 2024 debut, compiling a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with a 26.2% strikeout rate in 121.2 innings (22 starts). The 23-year-old has been a popular breakout pick for the 2025 season. While it's possible the Pirates are being cautious with their young arm, elbow discomfort isn't what you want to hear. He likely won't throw for a bit and will be re-evaluated in a few days. Fantasy managers will want to continue monitoring the hard-throwing righty over the next week, as he's currently being selected inside the top 150 of drafts.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones debuted his new two-seam fastball, which is a "sinker or whatever you want to call it," during a Grapefruit League game on Tuesday. In two scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves, Jones threw the new pitch five times, with it generating a called strike and four swings -- two fouls and two balls in play, including a pop-up to second base. He allowed one hit and a walk with three strikeouts in seven batters faced over the 27-pitch outing. The 23-year-old made it clear that his four-seam fastball is still his bread-and-butter pitch, and he's not interested in introducing his new two-seamer/sinker at the expense of his heater. If his new pitch isn't very successful, he plans on getting rid of it. Jones was overshadowed by teammate Paul Skenes and probably will continue to be, but he makes for a nice upside pick in fantasy drafts as a No. 3/4 starter going into his second season.

After breaking into the big leagues last year, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones is adding a two-seam fastball heading into his sophomore season, according to manager Derek Shelton. Jones' four-seamer averages 17.1 inches of vertical break, but his two-seamer would move in the opposite direction. The 23-year-old has been experimenting with the new pitch in live batting practice sessions and should debut it in a spring game soon. Jones leaned on his four-seamer (43.3%) and slider (34.8%) in 2024 while throwing his curve (9.3%) and changeup (6.6%) sparingly. He began to use his curve more late in the year. It generated plenty of whiffs (32.7%) but also a lot of hard contact. A more effective third offering could make Jones more consistent and help him keep the ball in the yard more often. RotoBaller has the young arm ranked at No. 39 among starting pitchers entering the 2025 season.

According to Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made starting pitchers Jared Jones and Mitch Keller available for trade at the Winter Meetings. Destin noted Jones is "very available." The Pirates have expressed interest in acquiring some offensive pieces, and moving one of these starting pitchers would put them in a good position to acquire a potent bat. Keller has typically operated as the workhorse in the Pittsburgh rotation, logging over 175 innings in each of the past two seasons. Last summer, Keller posted a 4.25 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. Jared Jones made his major league debut last summer and showed great potential. In his first 121 2/3 big league innings, the young right-hander held a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while generating a strong 26.2% K rate. With Paul Skenes looking like a clear ace and Bubba Chandler nearing his major league debut, moving one of these starters could provide Pittsburgh a much-needed spark to their lineup.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones was on his game Sunday, allowing two runs over seven frames in a 7-3 win over the Washington Nationals. Jones allowed four hits and walked none while striking out nine in what was his best start since coming back from the IL in late August. The 23-year-old rookie looks to be a stud in the future and should be drafted fairly highly next year given his sky-high upside. Jones should be started in most leagues next week with a middle-of-the-road matchup on tap against the Kansas City Royals.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed rookie Jared Jones (lat) will come off the 15-day injured and start on Tuesday versus the division-rival Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. Jones will make his return to the team's starting rotation for the stretch run for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 right-lat strain in early July. The Pirates weren't in a rush to bring the 23-year-old back to the majors so that they could limit his innings in his first big-league season. But now that Jones is back in the fold, he should be immediately thrown back into starting fantasy lineups in a good matchup against Chicago. Jones made three minor-league rehab starts with Triple-A Indianapolis and struck out 10 over five shutout innings his last time out while getting up to 73 pitches. In 16 MLB starts earlier this year, he went 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 98 punchouts in 91 innings of work.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones (lat) was impressive in his latest minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, tossing five shutout innings while giving up only one hit, walking one and striking out 10. Jones looked to be in midseason form, especially with his fastball, which topped out near 100 mph. The 23-year-old is fully expected to come off the 15-day injured list to make his next start in the big leagues after this impressive performance. Jones hasn't pitched in the big leagues since July 3, and the Pirates weren't in any rush to bring him back, especially after a rough recent stretch that has really hurt their chances of getting into the postseason. Although Jones won't have much time to make a difference for fantasy managers to close out his rookie year, he shouldn't be ignored in mixed leagues after fanning 26.4% of the batters he faced in his first 16 MLB starts earlier this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (lat) made another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, giving up four runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 3 1/3 innings of work. The results in the box score were not pretty, but Jones' velocity looks to be back up to normal. The Pirates could opt to have him make one more appearance in the minors to sharpen things up, but he did throw 67 pitches in Thursday's outing, meaning he could be ready to rejoin Pittsburgh's rotation early next week. Working his way back from a Grade 2 right lat strain, the 22-year-old rookie right-hander owns a promising 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 27 walks through 91 innings (16 starts) this season. There's no reason for him to be on waiver wires in any fantasy leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (lat) began a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, giving up two runs on one hit and a walk with three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings of work. More importantly, Jones threw 47 pitches in Thursday's outing, so the Pirates could opt to have him make one more appearance in the minors to further build up his pitch count. Working his way back from a Grade 2 right lat strain, Jones should be able to re-enter Pittsburgh's rotation sometime in mid-August. The 22-year-old rookie right-hander owns a strong 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 27 walks through 91 innings (16 starts) this season, so there's no reason for him to be on waiver wires in any fantasy leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones (lat) and outfielder Joshua Palacios (hamstring) are going to start their minor-league rehab assignments with Triple-A Indianapolis this week, according to a source. The expectation is that Jones will make a rehab start for Indy on Thursday. The 23-year-old Jones will finally get back on a mound for game action after missing more than a month with a Grade 2 right-lat strain. Because the Pirates want to limit the youngster's innings in his first MLB season, they haven't exactly been rushing him back, and Jones is likely to need at least a few rehab starts before being activated from the injured list. Barring setbacks, though, he could be back for fantasy managers before the end of August. Jones has a bright future ahead of him after posting a 26.4% strikeout rate, 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in his first 16 big-league starts this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (lat) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice before Saturday's game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Jones threw a 38-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and he will be re-evaluated afterwards to determine what his next steps are. There's no definitive return timeline for him yet, but Jones is going to need to throw some form of rehab innings before rejoining Pittsburgh's rotation, director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said. Before going down with a Grade 2 right lat strain, the 22-year-old upstart right-hander delivered a 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 27 walks covering 91 innings (16 starts) for the Pirates this season. Jones still has plenty of time to get back into the fold for fantasy managers before the end of August, and there's reason for optimism that he'll commence a minor-league rehab assignment within the next week or so.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones (lat) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. Jones said he felt good after his bullpen session after throwing off a mound for the first time since July 4. The Pirates rookie right-hander's velocity sat around 93-95 mph, and he used all four pitches in his arsenal during the bullpen session. He is set to throw again on Monday and face live hitters during next week's road trip in Houston. Jones owns a 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 98:27 K: BB across 91 innings in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to stash Jones as he is on target to return from the injured list in August.

Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Jared Jones (lat) threw from flat ground during a bullpen session at PNC Park on Tuesday as he bids to return from the injured list. He was able to throw roughly 90-120 feet. Jones was placed on the injured list on July 4 after 16 starts in which he went (5-6) with a 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 91 innings. He has struck out 98 batters while walking 27. Once Jones returns, he will form an imposing top of the rotation that includes All-Star Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, so fantasy managers should continue patiently waiting for him.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones (lat) threw on flat ground out to roughly 90 to 120 feet before Monday's series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Jones is being brought along slowly from a Grade 2 right-lat strain after being sidelined the last two-plus weeks. Even though the Pirates are making things interesting in the National League wild-card race early in the second half of the season, the Bucs aren't going to push the 22-year-old back into the starting rotation and ignore his long-term development. Jones is making progress, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect him to return to the big leagues until at least mid-August. The former second-rounder in 2020 has been overshadowed by Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh, but he was very solid in the first half in his first 16 MLB starts, posting a 3.56 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 26.4% strikeout rate.