Pirates can't rely on Jared Jones to fix all of their pitching woes

Jared Jones is set to make his long-awaited return to an MLB mound on Friday night when he starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manager Don Kelly described Jones as being "fired up" and "ready to roll" for his return, and the same can certainly be said about Pirates fans, who have been overreacting to the possibility that Jones might be coming back as a reliever.

As it turns out, the Pirates have decided to move Carmen Mlodzinski to the bullpen with Jones re-entering the rotation. Mlodzinski's role will be that of a bulk reliever capable of pitching multiple innings and, in some cases, closing games.

Mlodzinski's move to the 'pen is a healthy development for a Pirates team that has been let down by its relief pitchers too often in 2026. Wednesday's loss was the most recent example, as both Yohan Ramirez and Justin Lawrence blew the game for Pittsburgh.

This all reminds one of an important point about Jones' return to the Show: He can't be expected to single-handedly solve all of the Pirates' pitching problems this year, especially since he'll no doubt need some runway to re-establish the rhythm of pitching at the highest level after such a long absence.

Pirates fans would be doing a disservice to Jared Jones to expect him to cure all ills for Pittsburgh's staff

Pirates fans cannot expect Jones' return to erase Pittsburgh's bullpen issues or suddenly dissolve Bubba Chandler's struggles in 2026. It's also worth noting that Paul Skenes, though still very much elite, hasn't been quite the deity that he looked like over his first two seasons. Moreover, Braxton Ashcraft has been splendid, but the Pirates need to be careful not to overexert him.

These are all moving parts for the Pirates that Kelly will need to manage, and once again, Jones' return isn't going to make any of that easier. His return is welcome and extremely exciting, but fans need to remain realistic about what the next couple of months might look like as Pittsburgh continues to work through its handful of issues on the staff.

It's obvious that the Pirates' coaching staff believes in Jones' talent and believes he will make a real impact on this team in 2026 (fans feel similarly). It'll be vital for everyone not to get too high or too low through Jones' initial starts. He's proven that he belongs; now, he deserves some grace as he gets his MLB sea legs back over the course of the summer.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow