Jared Jones scare reminds Pirates how quickly hope can unravel

For a few frightening moments Sunday in Colorado, the Pittsburgh Pirates were reminded just how fragile their optimism really is.

Jared Jones took a comebacker off his pitching elbow, immediately putting a scare into a team that has already had to navigate far too many injury detours this season. Given Jones’ history — including right elbow surgery last year and a long, careful build back to the majors — it was impossible not to fear the worst. One bad bounce could have changed the entire complexion of Pittsburgh’s rotation again.

Thankfully for the Pirates, all testing came back clean. Jones will make his next scheduled start Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, giving Pittsburgh the best possible outcome after a moment that easily could have turned disastrous.

Pirates avoided worst case scenario after Jared Jones injury scare

Jones is still working his way back into form after missing more than a year of major-league action, and the results have reflected that process. Through five starts since returning from the injured list, he has posted a 5.75 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 21 strikeouts against eight walks over 20 1/3 innings. He has yet to throw more than 77 pitches in an outing, and he lasted only 45 pitches Sunday before exiting.

In other words, the Pirates aren't yet getting the full version of Jones. They are still waiting for him to graduate from “returning from injury” back into the pitcher who looked like one of baseball’s most electric young arms in 2024.

Jones has continued to show off the pitch mix that made him so exciting in the first place, including a fastball that can still touch 100 mph. His stuff has not disappeared. His ceiling has not changed. The challenge now is consistency, command and workload — all understandable hurdles for a pitcher trying to reestablish himself after such a long layoff.

That is what made Sunday’s scare so unsettling. The Pirates’ hope is built heavily around their young rotation. Paul Skenes is already the centerpiece. Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft have given them more reasons to dream big. Jones, if healthy and right, can still be the kind of arm that changes the team’s entire outlook. But the comebacker was a reminder that none of this is guaranteed.

Jones is good to go now, and that's what matters. His next start can be more than just another step in his comeback. It can be the beginning of his reset — a chance to move past the scare, settle back in and start looking less like a pitcher returning from injury and more like another ace-caliber piece in the Pirates’ rotation.

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