Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones unleashes 97-mph fastballs in his first live batting practice since elbow surgery.
Jared Jones took a major step in his return from elbow surgery, and the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander was impressive.
Jones pitched live batting practice on Friday during the Pirates’ spring training workout in Bradenton, Fla., working the equivalent of one inning. That is a small sample size, but utility player Nick Yorke was one of the hitters, and he liked what he saw from Jones.
It was the first time Jones faced hitters since having internal brace surgery on May 21.
“He was great,” Yorke said. “So, props to him coming out for the first live and pumping 97, 98 (mph) is good stuff. So looked good.”
An intense competitor, Jones treated the start like it came in the regular season. He was completely focused from the time he walked to the bullpen to warm up.
“Everyone knows Jonesy's personality, so he's walking over to the bullpen earlier today to get loose, and everyone's like, 'Hi, Jonesy, hi,’” Yorke said with a smile. “Just locked in, straight forward, walking all the way there, intense. It's good to bring someone like that who has good intensity to live at-bats. Brings the competitive juices up a little bit.”
Jones’ competitive juices had been stewing for a long time. The 24-year-old missed all last season with the injury after going 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts as a rookie in 2024.
Jones will begin this season on the 60-day injured list, which was an expected move. He likely won’t be ready to pitch in the majors until midseason. However, Pittsburgh expects him to be a big part of their future.
“He was limited on some of the off-speed stuff, but he landed a slider that was really good for a strike,” Yorke said. “Threw a good changeup to (first baseman Spencer Horwitz). I didn't see any changeups, but he threw a good one to Spence. And then he was getting some good ride-cut on his heater. So, he was looking good.”
Good enough to allow the Pirates to dream of having a rotation with four pitchers 26 or younger in the rotation at some point this season, with Jones joining Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, and rookie Bubba Chandler.
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