Jared Jones was overshadowed by teammate Paul Skenes last season among Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitchers. And while Skenes builds on his success after winning National League Rookie of the Year, Jones’ fledgling MLB career has hit a major obstacle.
The Pirates’ right-hander will undergo surgery on his right elbow and miss the remainder of the 2025 MLB season. Depending on the procedure performed, it’s likely that Jones will be sidelined for most of the 2026 campaign as well.
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Whether Jones needs Tommy John surgery or another reconstructive procedure such as internal brace surgery has not yet been determined, according to Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure on Jones’ “right elbow/forearm complex,” the team said.
Jones’ rookie numbers weren’t as flashy as Skenes’, and he didn’t make the All-Star team or place in NL Cy Young Award or Rookie of the Year voting. Nonetheless, he had a respectable season for the Pirates, compiling a 4.14 ERA and 6-8 record with 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.
Then Jones suffered a sprain to his right ulnar collateral ligament during spring training. After several imaging exams and consultations with multiple doctors, the ligament was determined to be intact, and it was decided that surgery wouldn’t be necessary.
Jones, 23, began tossing in April after six weeks of rest and progressed to throwing out to 100 feet. The hope was that he could begin throwing from a mound by the end of May. Yet Jones’ elbow still didn’t feel good.
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Following a consultation with Dr. Meister, surgery was recommended after all.
“When a professional athlete is committed to a process, whether it’s surgery, committing to a new plan, they have to have that in the front of their minds that ‘this is the best decision’ and at that point, Jared wasn’t ready for that,” Tomczak explained, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“We didn’t think it was the right thing or appropriate. By we, I mean all of us, that was a necessary step,” he added. “Through that process, through the last six weeks, what we learned is Jared yesterday shared with us that he can no longer continue to build back into competition without proceeding with surgery.”
Jones’ season-ending surgery is the latest dose of bad news during a miserable season for the Pirates. At 16-33, Pittsburgh has the second-worst record in the NL (and fourth-worst in MLB). Manager Derek Shelton was fired two weeks ago.
Additionally, the team alienated the family of Roberto Clemente and longtime fans by removing a tribute to the Hall of Famer in favor of an advertisement. The season has also included tragedy, with a fan falling over the outfield wall and onto the warning track at PNC Park. That fan remains hospitalized while recovering from injuries to his skull, spine, lungs, ribs and brain.
