Pirates' Jared Jones injury update contrasts wildly with announcer's ominous take

Discovering that Jared Jones was dealing with elbow pain was truly a scary experience for the Pirates. Following the initial report, his future remained a mystery for longer than fans hoped, with scant updates to follow. However, on Tuesday night, Pirates fans finally received a very promising update regarding this availability in 2025 after a trying afternoon packed with flying rumors.

Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Jones had no tears in the ligament in his elbow and did not need surgery. He will be shut down from throwing for six weeks, but will return this season, more than likely during the first half. Given when could have been, this is a really positive update.

Considering that Jones went for a second opinion, the thought of Tommy John surgery felt very realistic.

Pirates reporter gives positive update regarding Jared Jones’ elbow injury.

Of course, before Hiles' report (a breath of fresh air), many Pirates fans were given a new reason to fear the worst when announcer Greg Brown shared his thoughts with Andrew Fillipponi. On 93.7 The Fan, Brown relayed that it was "going to be a while" on Jones, who did not receive "good news".

That made fans expect the worst possible outcome for Jones and, thankfully, he was wrong. Looking at that timeline for Jones' no-throw, late June seems like an appropriate time to expect him back on the mound in Pittsburgh. After that stretch of no throwing, he has to go through a throwing program before he is able to get back on the mound (though he did go through most of a full spring training earlier in March). Not only will he need to build up his pitch count, but he will also need rehab innings in the minors.

The possibility of Jones throwing this year definitely gained steam after Thomas Harrington was optioned to Triple-A. Now, the Pirates can save a year of service on Harrington and maintain him for an extra season. Another positive baked in is that Harrington can develop a stronger workload before being elevated, as he has not pitched on just four days' rest much in his career. That adjustment is often difficult for rookies, and now he can join the team, with Jones and other prospects, later in the season, when Pittsburgh is hopefully involved in the playoff hunt.

This is really good news, as Jones is coming off a solid rookie season, posting a 4.14 ERA with a WHIP of 1.19 and a K/9 of 9.76. When he makes his return, this solid rotation will get even better. We need to hope that he does not experience any setbacks in his rehab process.