Pirates right-hander Jared Jones continues to inch his way toward a long-awaited return to the big league mound.
Jones tossed three innings of one-run ball in his second Minor League rehab start for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday. He scattered five hits and walked one while recording two strikeouts against Omaha at Victory Field.
Jones threw 54 pitches (35 strikes) while mixing in five different pitch types. His four-seam fastball averaged 98.8 mph and topped out at 100.1 mph in the first inning.
The 24-year-old missed all of last season after suffering a UCL sprain in his right elbow in Spring Training, which necessitated internal brace surgery last May. Jones last appeared in a Major League game on Sept. 27, 2024.
At the onset of Jonesās rehab assignment, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said that he anticipated the righty making āseveralā rehab outings. The organizationās goal is to approximate a Spring Training schedule for Jones, who threw three perfect innings in his first rehab start for Single-A Bradenton on Wednesday.
Jones made his MLB debut six weeks before Pirates ace Paul Skenes in 2024, breaking camp as a part of the big league rotation. As a rookie, he pitched to a 4.14 ERA across 22 starts, relying on a four-seamer that averaged 97.3 mph and a hard, biting slider that generated a 37.3% swing-and-miss rate.
Jonesās eventual return to the Majors will add another high-octane arm to a Pirates rotation that, rather predictably, has been one of the teamās strengths. Entering play on Wednesday, Pittsburghās starting pitchers had combined for a 3.74 ERA, the seventh-best mark in the Majors.