It will be a while before Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones returns to the mound in an MLB game, throwing a 100-mph fastball. However, Jones is now playing catch, and that makes him happy.

Jones underwent elbow ligament revision surgery in late May after beginning the season on the injured list. The timeline has him returning to the Pirates sometime next May.

However, Jones has reached a point in his rehab where he can at least play catch.

Jones had been working out at the Pirates' spring training facility in Bradenton, Fla. However, the 24-year-old came to Pittsburgh over the weekend for the Pirates' last home series of the season at PNC Park against the Athletics.

"I feel like a kid on Christmas every single day I get to pick up a baseball," Jones said. "Four months off of not being a baseball player and just working out and rehabbing, it's been tough. Just being able to put a baseball in my hand and make a throwing motion again has been really, really fun."

Jones surprisingly made the big-league team out of spring training last year. He made 22 starts and had a 6-8 record with a 4.14 ERA.

While Jones' record and ERA weren't eye-popping, his 132 strikeouts in 121 1/3 innings were impressive. It gave the Pirates hope that he could combine with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes to provide a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.

That didn't happen, but Jones is optimistic that he will beat the doctor's timetable and return not long after next season begins.

He could join a deep rotation that includes veteran Mitch Keller and current rookies Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, and Bubba Chander. Johan Oviedo has also looked good since joining the Pirates last month following his rehab from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.

That depth gives the Pirates hope they might contend in 2026 after back-to-back finishes in the National League Central basement.

"I want to be back tomorrow, throwing baseballs again, but I guess it all just depends on a whole bunch of different things," Jones said. "Whenever it's my time to go, I'll be ready."