Pirates Getting Closer to a Starting Rotation Boost

PITTSBURGH — It’s been over a month since Jared Jones last suited up for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the promising rookie is getting closer to a return.

Manager Derek Shelton revealed on Wednesday that Jones is currently at Triple-A Indianapolis and the expectation is that Jones will make a rehab start “within the next day or two.”

Jones exited his start on July 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals after five innings and 78 pitches. Although initial reports indicated that the move was precautionary, Jones was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right lat strain and was a no-throw for two weeks.

The recently-turned 23-year-old was off to a solid start to his debut season after breaking spring training with a spot in the Opening Day rotation. At the beginning of the spring, Jones appeared to be on the outside looking in when it came to cracking the initial roster, but he more or less forced the Pirates’ hand with strong start after strong start.

Jones took the opportunity and ran with it once the regular season started.

Through his first 16 starts, Jones went 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA and struck out 98 batters in 91 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .220 batting average. At the time of his injury, Jones ranked second among rookie pitchers in both strikeouts and innings.

Although it has been tested at times, starting rotation depth has largely been a strength for the Pirates this season. It still is, but trade departures of right-hander Quinn Priester and veteran left-hander Martín Pérez have weakened that claim to some degree.

While the Pirates would have surely rather had Jones starting every fifth day for the last month, there is one benefit to him missing some time. The Pirates were going to have to be mindful of Jones’ workload during his first season in the big leagues. Last year between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, Jones totaled a career-high 126.1 innings, so he was already getting close to eclipsing that number.

Jones isn’t the only promising rookie who has logged significant innings this season, either. Paul Skenes has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball. As they hinted at with Jones prior to his stint on the injured list, the Pirates might have to get creative in keeping Skenes fresh during the home stretch. Jones’ return will help in that process in giving the Pirates’ another rotation option.

In addition to Skenes, the Pirates currently have Mitch Keller, Bailey Falter, Marco Gonzales and Luis Ortiz in their starting rotation.

Collectively throughout the season, the Pirates’ rotation has been one of the better units in baseball. Pirates starting pitchers are tied for third among the 30 teams in the league with 3.53 ERA through the club’s 113 games played.

While Ortiz has been effective this season, he has struggled in his last two starts. A move back to the bullpen, a role in which as spent most of the season, could be on the table.

Otherwise, the Pirates are looking at a possible six-man rotation, whether traditionally or by using Ortiz as an occasional starter to give Skenes or Jones extra rest during the rest of the season.

Regardless of what the Pirates ultimately choose to do when the time comes, there’s no denying that Jones will help to bolster the starting rotation once again.

Also of Note

In addition to Jones, Shelton said that outfielder Joshua Palacios will be starting a rehab assignment with Indianapolis in the very near future. Palacios is on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

In 20 games with the Pirates this season, Palacios has hit .230 with a .663 OPS and a pair of home runs,