Pirates Make Several Roster Moves as Jared Jones Returns

As expected, the Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated right-hander Jared Jones to face the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at PNC Park. Jones had been on the 15-day IL since July 4 with a right lat strain.

In addition to Jones, right-handed reliever Carmen Mlodzinski (right shoulder) was also reinstated from the 15-day injured list and will be back with the Pirates for Thursday’s game.

To make room for both pitchers on the active roster, the Pirates optioned infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae to Triple-A Indianapolis and designated left-hander Brady Feigl for assignment.

Jones was having a strong season in his first year in the big leagues before he was sidelined. Through his first 16 starts, the 23-year-old went 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA. He ranked second among all rookies in both strikeouts (98) and innings pitched (91) at the time of his injury.

The Pirates’ starting rotation now consists of Jones, fellow promising rookie Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter and Luis Ortiz. On the season, Pirates’ starting pitching has posted the fifth-best ERA (3.79).

Mlodzinski has been out of action since July 30. In 26 appearances for the Pirates this season, he’s gone 2-4 with a 3.18 ERA with 13 walks and 29 strikeouts in 34 innings. He’s held opponents to a .236 batting average and a .611 OPS.

Bae has struggled in his third season with the Pirates. Across 29 games, the 25-year-old is under the Mendoza Line with a .189 batting average and a .463 OPS. He’s hit a pair of doubles with six RBIs and six stolen bases.

Feigl made his major-league debut in Monday’s loss to the Cubs. The left-hander was charged with six runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings pitched. The Pirates signed Feigl as a minor-league free agent in the offseason. In 33 games with Indianapolis, he went 7-2 with a 3.83 ERA prior to his promotion to Pittsburgh.