Jared Jones undergoes surgery to repair right UCL

PITTSBURGH -- Jared Jones had surgery to repair his right UCL by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Wednesday, the Pirates announced. A projected return to full competition is 10-12 months.

Jones suffered a right UCL sprain in Spring Training, but after seeking multiple opinions and doing rounds of imaging, it was determined the ligament was intact and that surgery could be avoided. After six weeks of rest, Jones started tossing again at the end of April, with the hope being that he could throw off a slope by the end of May.

Late last week, Jones started to experience recurring symptoms when he was throwing out to 100 feet. He reconvened with Meister on Tuesday, after which Jones agreed that surgery was the best course of action moving forward.

Losing Jones obviously stings the Pirates. The organization has a good collection of pitching in the Majors and Minors, but few have Jones’ upside or his fire on the mound.

He emerged as one of the club’s top young pitchers last season, going 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts over 121 2/3 innings. He boasted a new two-seam fastball and sharper secondary pitches this Spring Training, developments that seemed to put him in position to build on that strong rookie campaign. That obviously will not happen this year, and the focus is going to have to turn to rehab.

“What we do know about Jared and how he's approached his current rehab and what we do know of him as a human being, that he's going to dominate this rehab,” Tomczyk said. “And most importantly, Jared feels terrible. He feels terrible because he's not able to compete with his teammates the rest of the season. We as an organization are going to support him like we have with all our other professional athletes that are undergoing other types of procedures to the body."

More injury news:

• Infielder Enmanuel Valdez also underwent season-ending surgery this week to repair his dislocated left shoulder. Dr. Jeffery Dugas performed the “SLAP” repair (superior labrum anterior to posterior). Since it is his non-dominant shoulder, his estimated window to return to competition is six months.

Valdez had a .657 OPS and two home runs over his 102 trips to the plate this year, though his peripherals suggested he was experiencing some "small sample size" bad luck. He was also worth three outs above average defensively.

• Right-hander Justin Lawrence received a PRP injection after having his elbow examined by Dr. Meister last week. He will need another three weeks of rest and rehab before the club reassesses his throwing status.

Lawrence got off to a very hot start with his new club, allowing just one earned run over 11 1/3 innings before hitting the injured list on April 23.

• Johan Oviedo has thrown four side sessions to date with no issues. His Spring Training lat injury paused his rehab back from Tommy John surgery, but he is building back from both ailments.

“They’re being very cognizant and aware of his intensity,” Tomczyk said. “That was one thing that we felt we learned through the lat injury. He is making really good strides.”

• Left-hander Hunter Barco (the Pirates’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline) has resumed throwing out to 120 feet after being removed in the first inning of his May 15 start with a mild muscle strain of his left shoulder. The team is taking it day by day, and he could start throwing off a slope soon.