Could Jared Jones be back and pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates before the end of this month?
General manager Ben Cherington said that is not off the table.
“It’s certainly possible, the way the calendar works out,” Cherington said Sunday on the Pirates Insider program on 93.7-FM. “But we’re going to keep taking it an outing at a time.”
Jones, 24, is working his way through a minor-league rehab assignment and would be eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list May 26.
The hard-throwing righty, who last appeared in a MLB game Sept. 27, 2024, underwent InternalBrace surgery on his throwing elbow last May and missed the entirety of the 2025 season.
But a return to big-league action now appears around the corner for Jones, who, via Cherington, is set to make his third rehab start Tuesday with the Altoona Curve.
“We’re trying to use the home games, so he’ll pitch for Altoona. He’ll probably toggle back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A as we get deeper into the rehab assignment,” Cherington said.
Jones’ debut rehab outing came April 29 with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders, where he tossed three hitless innings, striking out five with no walks.
The Pirates then sent Jones to Triple-A, where he pitched three innings for the Indians on May 6, allowing five hits, one run and one walk with a pair of strikeouts.
Jones returning to the fold for the Pirates, with whom he went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 122 2/3 innings in 2024, could shake up the club’s current rotation.
Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft have performed in a way that solidifies their spots in the rotation, but Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 4.50 ERA), who continues to be experimented with as a starter, and Bubba Chandler (1-4, 4.76 ERA) could be candidates for moving to the bullpen.
Command issues, in particular, have plagued the 23-year-old Chandler, who has walked 26, second most in MLB, compared to 31 strikeouts in 34 innings.
More strange is that last season, over seven appearances and 31 1/3 innings following his Aug. 22, 2025, big-league debut, Chandler’s control was elite, as he struck out 31 with only four walks.
Considerations concerning Jones and how to utilize him upon his return to the Pirates are still hypothetical and weeks away at the minimum.
Director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk previously said Jones is still being built up to the point where he can throw six innings and 90 pitches.
So Jones will need to continue navigating his rehabilitation effectively and without setbacks if the Pirates are going to be aggressive and activate him by the end of May.
Regardless of when he does become available, the Pirates eagerly await that moment.
“It’s certainly possible, towards the end of the month, that he becomes a possibility,” Cherington said. “But we’ll take it an outing at a time and just keep listening to him.”