Pirates may have dodged disaster after dramatic Jared Jones injury scare

For a few terrifying moments Sunday at Coors Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates had every reason to fear the worst with Jared Jones.

The right-hander left the mound screaming in frustration and apparent pain after taking an 87.9 mph comebacker off his right elbow at the end of the third inning of the Pirates’ 8-6 win over the Colorado Rockies. It's a scary sight for any pitcher, but it was especially alarming for Jones.

He was making only his fifth start since being activated from the 60-day injured list on May 29 after undergoing surgery to repair the UCL in his right elbow in May of 2025. After a long, challenging road back to the Pirates’ rotation, the last thing anyone wanted to see was Jones clutching that same arm and heading for the dugout after just 45 pitches.

Thankfully, the early signs appear to be encouraging. Initial images on Jones’ elbow came back negative, and the Pirates will reevaluate him Monday in Pittsburgh. Jones even said afterward that the medical staff told him the ball hit in about the best possible spot, noting that if it had struck any lower, the bone could have shattered.

“It doesn’t feel great, but kind of the best-case scenario where nothing is too messed up in there,” Jones said after the game.

That's about as good an update as the Pirates could have hoped for after such a dramatic scene.

Jared Jones appears to have avoided worst case scenario after taking liner off elbow

Jones admitted he may have been “a little overdramatic” when the incident occurred, but that reaction was completely understandable. Getting drilled in the elbow is painful enough, but getting drilled there barely a month after returning from major elbow surgery is the kind of moment that immediately sends a player, manager, training staff and fanbase into panic mode.

Before the injury, Jones had shown flashes of the form Pittsburgh badly needs from him. He retired the Rockies in order on just seven pitches in the first inning, then worked around a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second while allowing only one run.

The Pirates’ bullpen did enough from there, with Yohan Ramírez and Evan Sisk stabilizing the game before late hiccups from Dennis Santana and Gregory Soto made the final score closer than it needed to be. The Pirates are well aware that no lead is ever safe, especially at Coors Field, but Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds supplied the biggest swings to help them avoid the sweep at the hands of the Rockies.

Still, the result was secondary to Jones’ health. Pittsburgh is already playing without Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz, and losing Jones from the rotation would have been another brutal blow. For now, though, the Pirates may have avoided disaster.

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