Pirates Announce Jared Jones Rehab Assignment Start Date
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PITTSBURGH — Right-handed pitcher Jared Jones has worked hard in coming back from season-ending surgery last year, but is finally going to start competition against opposing teams.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on the Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that they anticipate Jones pitching for Single-A Bradenton on April 29, which would start his rehab assignment.
Cherington also said that Jones is ready to go physically, that his velocity is where it needs to be and that they want to see him pitch "several outings", and monitor his progress during them to see when he should progress.
“I think, barring something really interesting, you’ll see him in a game on Wednesday for Bradenton," Cherington said."We’ll start there in the Florida State league. Obviously, at some point, he’ll pitch at higher levels of the minor leagues during the rehab assignment.
“We anticipate, assuming that goes well that first game, we’ll kind of take it an outing at a time and map out the rest of the schedule. We anticipate several outings, trying to approximate a Spring Training as closely as we can.
“He’s passed all the physical checks. He’s pitched in an extended game last week, was up to 100 [mph], his last fastball was 99 [mph], so he’s hitting the velocity, recovering well, all that stuff is good. Now he’s just got to get back into that routine of being a pitcher and executing pitches and getting outs, so that’s what will be what the rehab assignment is about.”
What This Means for Jared Jones Moving Forward
Jones went on the 60-day injured list officially on March 26, Opening Day, so the earliest he can return to the Pirates would be May 25.
He underwent internal brace surgery back on May 21, 2025, which while not as invasive or long-term as Tommy John surgery, still requries a return timeline of 10-12 months, which Jones is currently on track for.
Jones, as Cherington mentioned, has pitched in extended games, which will help him take on heavier workloads as he starts moving through the rehab assignment and building back to becoming a starting pitcher.
This rehab assignment will serve as the first time that Jones has faced opposing hitting outside the Pirates organization since Spring Training 2025, when he noticed elbow pain in his throwing arm and then eventually was an ulnar collateral ligament sprain, which led to the surgery.
Jones will start off with Bradenton, but then move his way up through the minor leagues, to High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, before he can officially come back with the Pirates.
It's been a long rehab for the 24-year old, who hasn't pitched officially for the Pirates since he finished his rookie season in 2024.
Pirates fans will hope that Jones comes back with his fiery attitude and top-notch competitiveness that made him so exhilarating to watch as a rookie and help this pitching staff get even better in 2026.
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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.