Jared Jones will visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday for an examination on the ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow that has sidelined the Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher since spring training, a source confirmed to TribLive.
There is a possibility Jones could undergo Tommy John surgery, which has a 14-16 month recovery and would cause him to miss the remainder of this season and most of next season, though the source warned that surgery is not necessarily required.
Jones, 23, was 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings as a rookie in 2024. He recorded 10 strikeouts in his major-league debut at Miami and hit double-digit strikeouts again in a 1-0 win over Colorado.
Jones was slated to be in the middle of the starting rotation along with 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, 2023 All-Star Mitch Keller and lefties Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney but missed a scheduled start with right elbow discomfort.
The Pirates placed Jones on the 60-day injured list March 27.
