Jared Jones second season with the Pittsburgh Pirates is over before it started. Jones underwent elbow surgery and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

The club’s senior director of sport medicine Todd Tomczyk announced to reporters it was to address his ailing right elbow. Tomczyk did clarify that the decision to pursue surgery was made following last week’s setback.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

“After a lot of contemplation, a lot of learning from multiple experts in and outside the industry, ultimately, Jared and his team, in support of the Pirates, decided to proceed with surgery to the right elbow-forearm complex,” Tomczyk said.

Sep 27, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones (37) exits the game during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images© John Jones-Imagn Images

Jones suffered a right UCL sprain in Spring Training. After six weeks of rest, Jones started throwing again at the end of April, with the hope being that he could throw off a slop by the end of May.

Late last week, Jones started to experiences recurring symptoms when he was throwing out to 100 feet. The right-hander reconvened with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday, after which Jones agreed that surgery was the best option moving forward.

Advertisement

Advertisement Advertisement

Jones emerged as one of the club’s top young arms last season. He went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 121 1/3 innings, though he did miss time because of a lat injury.

It’s a massive sting for the Pirates. Pittsburgh has a good collection of pitching in both the majors in minors.

Related: MLB Insider Reveals Major Update on Pirates’ Paul Skenes Trade Buzz

Jared Jones was overshadowed by teammate Paul Skenes last season among Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitchers. And while Skenes builds on his success after winning National League Rookie of the Year, Jones’ fledgling MLB career has hit a major obstacle.

The Pirates’ right-hander will undergo surgery on his right elbow and miss the remainder of the 2025 MLB season. Depending on the procedure performed, it’s likely that Jones will be sidelined for most of the 2026 campaign as well.

Whether Jones needs Tommy John surgery or another reconstructive procedure such as internal brace surgery has not yet been determined, according to Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure on Jones’ “right elbow/forearm complex,” the team said.

Jones’ rookie numbers weren’t as flashy as Skenes’, and he didn’t make the All-Star team or place in NL Cy Young Award or Rookie of the Year voting. Nonetheless, he had a respectable season for the Pirates, compiling a 4.14 ERA and 6-8 record with 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.

Then Jones suffered a sprain to his right ulnar collateral ligament during spring training. After several imaging exams and consultations with multiple doctors, the ligament was determined to be intact, and it was decided that surgery wouldn’t be necessary.

Jared Jones just threw one of nastiest pitches you will see all season. 😮 pic.twitter.com/mDYibaevZe — MLB (@MLB) April 22, 2024

Jones, 23, began tossing in April after six weeks of rest and progressed to throwing out to 100 feet. The hope was that he could begin throwing from a mound by the end of May. Yet Jones’ elbow still didn’t feel good.

Following a consultation with Dr. Meister, surgery was recommended after all.

“When a professional athlete is committed to a process, whether it’s surgery, committing to a new plan, they have to have that in the front of their minds that ‘this is the best decision’ and at that point, Jared wasn’t ready for that,” Tomczak explained, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“We didn’t think it was the right thing or appropriate. By we, I mean all of us, that was a necessary step,” he added. “Through that process, through the last six weeks, what we learned is Jared yesterday shared with us that he can no longer continue to build back into competition without proceeding with surgery.”

Jones’ season-ending surgery is the latest dose of bad news during a miserable season for the Pirates. At 16-33, Pittsburgh has the second-worst record in the NL (and fourth-worst in MLB). Manager Derek Shelton was fired two weeks ago.

Additionally, the team alienated the family of Roberto Clemente and longtime fans by removing a tribute to the Hall of Famer in favor of an advertisement. The season has also included tragedy, with a fan falling over the outfield wall and onto the warning track at PNC Park. That fan remains hospitalized while recovering from injuries to his skull, spine, lungs, ribs and brain.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones has undergone elbow surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2025 season, the club announced on Wednesday. The surgery is to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, or the ligament associated with Tommy John surgery. He’s expected to miss 10 to 12 months, suggesting he may not be ready to return to the Pirates rotation until after Opening Day 2026.

“Late last week when he started throwing 100 feet, the arm didn’t feel good … that’s when we made the decision,” the club’s senior director of sport medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters on Wednesday.

Jones, who did not pitch this season, experienced his arm trouble back in spring. The Pirates expressed optimism in March that Jones would avoid surgery. At the time, the diagnosis was a strained UCL that left the ligament in stable condition. Jones was subsequently prescribed a treatment plan that had him not throw for six weeks. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Jones’ elbow was able to heal to the extent that the doctors wanted it to, leaving them with no alternative.

Jones, 23, was one of last season’s standout rookie pitchers. In 22 starts, he amassed a 4.14 ERA (101 ERA+) and a 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions were estimated to be worth 1.7 Wins Above Replacement, per the calculations housed at Baseball Reference.

The Pirates are off to a terrible start to the season, posting a 16-33 record that leaves them in last place in the National League Central. Pittsburgh recently fired manager Derek Shelton, installing former big-league utility player Don Kelly in his place as interim skipper.

The Pirates will conclude a three-game series at home against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday, May 21, and will miss the rest of the 2025 MLB season — and likely much of the 2026 season as well.

It’s a long recovery ahead for the hard-throwing right-hander, who posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 39 walks and 132 strikeouts over 121.2 innings last season.

Jared Jones to Undergo Surgery

During spring training, Jones was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right elbow.

Even with that diagnosis, Jones tried to come back this season, despite UCL sprains almost always ending in Tommy John surgery. He started a throwing program in late April, but it only delayed the inevitable. After experiencing pain again, Jones and the Pirates finally opted for surgery.

The Pirates and Jared Jones have made the decision to undergo elbow surgery today. “Late last week when he started throwing 100 feet, the arm didn’t feel good…that’s when we made the decision…” @KDKA pic.twitter.com/gF1fWZojHb — Cassidy Wood (@CassidyWoodTV) May 21, 2025

By putting off the procedure in March, Jones added at least two months to his recovery timeline.

Jones’ 2026 Outlook

Jones now faces a 10-to-12-month recovery. That puts him on track for a possible May 2026 return. But even then, the Pirates will likely bring him along slowly, with limited innings and a strict pitch count.

It also typically takes time for pitchers to regain form after Tommy John surgery. Command issues and a dip in velocity are common during the first few months back.

Realistically, the Pirates may not see Jones return to full strength until 2027, a blow for a team still struggling to climb out of the rebuild phase.

In 2025, the Pirates are 17-33. They sit in last place in the NL Central, already 13 games out of first place. Only the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox have more losses.

But their struggles aren’t limited to this season. The Pirates haven’t made the playoffs since 2015. Even worse, the Pirates have never won the NL Central, dating back to 1994 when the division was formed. In the last 10 seasons, the Pirates have as many 100-loss seasons (two) as they do winning seasons.

Pirates’ Rotation Could Look Strong in 2027

If all goes well, Jones could return to top form in time to join MLB superstar Paul Skenes and top prospect Bubba Chandler, forming a potential “big three” in the Pirates’ rotation.

The Pirates selected Chandler in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, the No. 72 overall pick. According to MLB.com, Chandler is the No. 2 overall prospect in all of baseball, and the No. 1 pitcher.

That trio of power arms could be the spark the franchise needs to finally break through and make a playoff push.