The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that right-handed pitcher Jared Jones, who has been having a standout rookie season, has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right lat strain. Outfielder Josh Palacios has been called up as a corresponding move. Jones left Wednesday’s game after five innings and 78 pitches due to tightness in his lat.
“I started feeling it later in the game,” Jones mentioned after Wednesday’s game. “It got really tight on me in the fifth inning, so I informed the trainer, and here we are. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Despite the injury, Jones has been impressive this season with a 3.56 ERA, 98 strikeouts, and 16 starts covering 91 innings. His upper-90s fastball and upper-80s slider have been key weapons, along with a promising curveball and changeup. He has also shown improved control compared to his minor league career.
Although injuries are never ideal, the Pirates were already planning to manage Jones’ workload in the second half of the season. In the minors, Jones pitched around 122 2/3 innings in 2022 and 126 1/3 innings in 2023. It is unlikely that the Pirates will exceed 130-140 innings for him this year.
The injury to Jones opens up a clearer path for his teammate Paul Skenes to contend for the NL Rookie of the Year award. With Jones sidelined, Skenes faces competition primarily from Jackson Merrill and Masyn Winn.
Looking at the NL rookie WAR leaderboard:
- SS Masyn Winn, Cardinals: 2.9 WAR
- CF Jackson Merrill, Padres: 2.3 WAR
- SP Paul Skenes, Pirates: 2.3 WAR
- RP Bryan Hudson, Brewers: 2.3 WAR
- 3B Joey Ortiz, Brewers: 2.1 WAR
While Jones is close behind Ortiz with 1.8 WAR, Skenes made a strong impact despite debuting later in the season compared to the other contenders.
Aside from the Rookie of the Year race, Jones’ injury could also affect the Pirates’ chances in the National League’s wild-card race. Despite being only three games behind the third wild-card spot, Pittsburgh’s 41-44 record puts them in a competitive position in the NL.
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