Pirates fans get hopeful sign as Jared Jones reaches key recovery milestone

It’s been nearly a year since Pirates fans last caught a glimpse of Jared Jones lighting up the radar gun. The promising starter sprained his UCL during spring training last year and has been on the long road to recovery ever since.

This week, though, Jones took a major step forward by throwing off a mound for the first time since undergoing elbow surgery in May. Now the Pirates can dream about one of the best rotations they’ve had in decades.

Estimates for Jones’ recovery could have put his return to big-league action in the middle of the season, but several promising updates indicate that he could be ready closer to 10 months than 12. If that’s the case, Jones could make a complicated rotation even trickier, but that’s a complication that the Pirates would be happy to encounter.

Jared Jones threw off a mound for the first time since surgery, setting up a return to the rotation in early 2026.

After the Mike Burrows and Johan Oviedo trades, the Pirates’ rotation feels a little less predictable and solid. FanGraphs projects the starting five as Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, and Carmen Mlodzinski. Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington could make a push with a strong spring, and it’s possible that the Pirates could still add an arm through free agency.

If Jones returns to form quickly, much of that uncertainty could vanish. Mlodzinski could return to the ‘pen, where he has had greater success, and Barco and Harrington could be given all the opportunities they need in order to prepare for the Majors.

Considering his injury and rehab, Jones may need to be on an innings limit, giving Barco and Harrington a chance to get spot starts here and there. Neither Ashcraft nor Chandler have a full big-league season of experience, so the solution may be Jones plus prospects plus a to-be-determined signee. This mix-and-match approach could lead to Jones getting needed rest while the prospects get needed experience.

It seems as though Jones was able to achieve some easy velocity off the mound, but it is yet to be seen if he can return to the dominant form he displayed as a rookie in 2024. His fastball-slider combo accounted for 47.7% of his put-away pitches and were his most successful offerings. We’ll have to see whether the velocity or spin has been curbed by his surgery.