Pirates Give Optimistic Return Timeline for Jared Jones
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones has been working diligently to get back to the major leagues and it might come earlier than some expected.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on the Pirates Insider Show on May 10 that there's a possibility that Jones could pitch for them at the end of the month, but nothing is certain as of now.
Jones just made his second start on his rehab assignment and first one with Triple-A Indianapolis on May 6, which Cherington was impressed with and revealed that Jones will make his third start on his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on May 12.
“It’s certainly possible with the way the calendar works out, but we’re going to take it an outing at a time," Cherington said. "He had a good first outing in Indy, we’re trying to use the home games, so he’ll pitch for Altoona. So he’ll toggle back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A as we get deeper into the rehab assignment.
“It’s certainly possible towards the end of the month he becomes a possibility, but we’ll take it an outing at a time and just keep listening to him.”
Looking at a Potential Return Timeline for Jones
Jones can return as early as May 26, which will end his time on the 60-day injured list that started on Opening Day, March 26.
He made his first rehab assignment start with Single-A Bradenton on April 30, where he threw three perfect innings and struck out five batters with 30 of his 41 pitches strikes.
Jones didn't haven as much success in his start with Indianapolis, where he gave up five hits, a walk and an earned run over three innings and 54 pitches
His next start comes in just two days for Altoona, which should see him have more success against easier competition, but the Pirates will monitor a couple of things.
They'll look to see if Jones can pitch deeper than three innings, where he should throw at least four innings in this start, as they gauge his body andhow he's feeling on the mound. They'll also look to see how he maintains his pitches going deeper into games and if he can handle that at this point.
Jones has shown that he still has his stuff and that he's throwing his entire pitch mix. He's ramped up his fastball to more than 100 mph and is getting good velocity on his other pitches like his sinker and changeup.
He has 16 days until he comes off the injured list, but the Pirates won't rush him off of it and will make sure that he's fully ready before bringing him back to the major leagues, where the fanbase is excited to see him take the mound once again.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.