Pirates' Jared Jones: Seeks second opinion on sore elbow
Rotowire
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Jones has already had imaging on his sore right elbow and is waiting on a second opinion, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
A second opinion on an injury typically isn't sought out if the first opinion is favorable, so the news is less than ideal. However, Tomczyk added that "I don't want to be an alarmist" and was quick to point out that the team is still in the information-gathering stage. Jones will not pitch again during spring training and a stint on the injured list is highly likely, but the bigger concern here is if the right-hander needs surgery. More on Jones' status should be known in the coming days.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Set to miss final spring start
Rotowire
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Jones experienced elbow discomfort during his most recent bullpen session and won't be able to make his final Grapefruit League start later this week, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Shelton said that the Pirates will have internal conversations regarding when Jones will be able to make his first start of the season, but given that elbow discomfort can often foreshadow a more significant injury, the young right-hander would seem at high risk of landing on the injured list. Before a decision is made on Jones' next steps, the Pirates will presumably wait and see how his elbow responds to a few days of rest. If Jones is shelved to begin the season, the Pirates could open up a spot in the rotation for prospect Thomas Harrington, who wasn't expected to break camp with the big club but excelled in his first Grapefruit League start Tuesday.
Jones threw five sinkers during his first spring training start Tuesday, Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Jones threw 27 total pitches across two scoreless innings while striking out three. During the impressive outing, Jones debuted a new two-seamer with sinking action. He has yet to commit to using the pitch during the regular season, though continuing to develop the offering appears to be a priority this spring.
Jones has worked on a two-seam fastball this offseason and will test the pitch in spring training games, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
Jones flashed his potential as a rookie last year with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts, but his 1.3 HR/9 was a blemish in his skills profile. Like teammate Paul Skenes, Jones is working on a pitch with sinking action in an attempt to keep the ball in the yard more effectively. That could also hurt his potential strikeout upside, though he didn't commit to using that pitch in the regular season.
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