Jared Jones Nears Pirates Return, Boosts Pitching Staff

0:00It's April 8th. I'm Corey with The Story. This is MLB News Today, driven by AI and built for baseball fans. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones is closing in on a full return from elbow surgery he had almost a year ago. The right-hander dominated in 2024, but missed all of last season after a UCL sprain forced him under the knife in May of 20. 25. Now he's on track to rejoin the rotation around May or June this year. General manager Ben Charrington gave the latest update, saying there's no change to the plan. Jones threw a solid live batting practice session yesterday with good velocity in all his pitches working. He's feeling strong and ramping up toward game action, though they haven't set a date for his first rehab start yet. The team sees Jones as a key long-term starter, but they'll manage his innings carefully this season, nowhere near 180 to protect him for the future. It's a structured build-up after that internal brace procedure, which was less invasive than

1:00Tommy John's surgery. He's on the 60-day injured list, so the earliest he can return is May 25. Expect some minor league rehab games and maybe even bullpen work at first to ease him back, just like they did with prospects Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler. That pitching staff gets a huge boost with Jones linking up alongside Paul Schienes, Mitch Keller and those young arms. Edwards fans got plenty to feel. Good about heading into summer.