Pirates Rising Prospect Dealt Setback After Strong 2026 Start
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had one prospect that was making great strides in 2026, but won't play for the foreseeable future.
Pirates outfield prospect Mitch Jebb went on the 7-day injured list back on April 27 and hasn't played since with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he earned promotion to back on April 21.
Jebb ended up fracturing his thumb, which he underwent surgery for and will not return to playing baseball full-time for the next 12 weeks as he recovers, according to Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk.
“While he was trying to beat out an infield ground ball, he attempted to avoid the pitcher and the tag diving head first with his left hand into first base and he fractured his thumb," Tomczyk said.
"Unfortunately, he’s sustained a couple other injuries to that thumb that required surgery. That surgery happened yesterday by Dr. Tom Graham and we’re projecting about a 12-week return to full baseball activities.
Injury Ruins Great Start to 2026 For Mitch Jebb
Jebb had been having a strong showing in the minor leagues for the Pirates this season prior to this latest injury, which will keep him from fully returning until July 23.
He started out with Double-A Altoona and played 14 games for them, slashing .226/.339/.264 for an OPS of .603, but his season really started getting better once he moved up to Triple-A, playing in place of the injured center fielder Jhostynxon Garcia.
Jebb slashed .375/.423/.708 for an OPS of 1.131 in six games, with nine hits in 24 at-bats, six runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, five RBI and two stolen bases.
He hit both of those home runs in the 6-1 win over St. Paul on April 23, accouting for four RBI in the victory.
Those two home runs were also the first home runs he had hit in 656 days since July 6, 2024, when he hit two home runs in a game for High-A Greensboro.
It's a tough blow for Jebb and the Pirates, who have high hopes that their second round pick out of Michigan State in 2023 will finally get things going this year and into the future.
What Jebb Brings to the Pirates When Healthy
Jebb is not a home run hitter, as he almost went two years between his last home runs, but he provides the Pirates many other attributes and skills they desire.
He is a contact hitter, with 109 hits in 2024 and 118 hits in 2025, and has great plate discipline, with 142 walks to 171 strikeouts and possessing a low strikeout rate of 13.9%.
Jebb is also versatile outfielder, playing all three outfield spots and has a solid arm is a smart fielder overall, using his speed to help him out.
That speed has made him dangerous on the base paths, with 91 stolen bases in the minor leagues and just 15 times caught stealing, which also includes 43 stolen bases in 2024 with Greensboro and 33 stolen bases in 2025 with Altoona.
The Pirates have a player similar to Jebb on their team in Jake Mangum, who doesn't hit for power, but has speed, gets hits and makes things difficult for opposing teams on the basepaths.
Jebb will unfortunately miss almost the next three months, but he'll still have a month-and-a-half remaining before the season ends to get back to what he was doing before injury with Indianapolis.
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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.