Pirates Make IL Decision on Jared Jones
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made some roster moves on the first day of pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training.
The Pirates are placing Jared Jones on the 60-day injured list, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Colin Beazley, as they signed free agent right-handed pitcher José Urquidy to a one-year deal, giving him a spot on the 40-man roster.
Jones' stint on the 60-day injured list won't officially start until Opening Day, which is March 26 against the New York Mets at Citi Field. This means that Jones wouldn't come back to the Pirates until as early as May 25 this season.
Jones has had a long injury recovery after surgery last year, but he's been working back towards getting healthy for the season.
Jared Jones' Injury Timeline
Pirates fans eagerly awaited the second season with Jones in the rotation in 2025, but they never saw him pitch.
Jones originally felt pain in his arm in Spring Training and then started throwing again after six weeks off, before suffering a setback, which revealed a ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprain.
He underwent internal brace surgery on May 21, ending his season and putting him on a long road of recovery.
The internal brace surgery that Jones underwent isn't as invasive Tommy John surgery, which would've kept Jones out the rest of 2026 as well, but still requires working on the repairing the ligaments back to the bone, allowing it to heal, then augmenting it, making it stronger.
Jones received clearance from Dr. Keith Meister, who completed his surgery on May 21, to start throwing again in September, which was the first time he had done so since the operation.
He took his first "flat" on Dec. 9, which is when a pitcher throws from a flat mound, serving as one of the big steps before eventually returning to the elevated mound pitchers throw from in games.
Jones then did his first bullpen session on Jan. 11, which served as another important step towards him pitching from the mound in a live setting.
He also threw a bullpen session on the first day of pitchers and catchers reporting to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. for Spring Training.
Jones is on schedule for a return after 10-12 months of recovery, which puts him on track for March through May.
He can do a rehab assignment while on the 60-day injured list, so expect him to do so before he officially returns in May to the Pirates, as long as everything goes right with his recovery.
2024 Campaign Gives Pirates Hope for Jones in 2026
Jones had an excellent Spring Training with the Pirates in 2024, which saw him make the Opening Day roster.
He ended his first full season in Pittsburgh with a 6-8 record, 22 starts, 4.14 ERA in 121.2 innings pitched, 39 walks to 132 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP.
Jones posted a sub-3.00 ERA in his first nine starts and had a 3.56 ERA through early July, but a right lat strain kept him out for almost two months before returning to the Pirates in late August.
He struggled afterwards, with a 5.87 ERA in his final six starts and 30.2 innings pitched, allowing at least two earned runs in each start.
Jones will come back to a Pirates starting rotation that has some of the best young talent in baseball and National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
Rookies in Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler made their debuts last season and will fight for a spot in the rotation alongside Jones and Urquidy will also likely have a starting role at times in 2026.
Jones may start out of the bullpen when he returns, which the Pirates did with the rookies last season, but regardless, he'll have a great supporting cast and one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.