The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting another starter back into the fold. 2024 rookie standout Jared Jones will return to the mound very soon. Jones underwent internal brace surgery last year and is nearing the end of his rehab. However, Jones wants to return to the Pirates’ rotation. Meanwhile, Carmen Mlodzinski originally looked like the odd man out to head to the bullpen. However, the Pirates can still find a way to get both Jones and Mlodzinski regular starts.
Pirates Can Still Use Carmen Mlodzinski and Jared Jones as Starters
Mlodzinski Has Earned His Rotation Spot
Mlodzinski has certainly earned a longer look in the rotation. His second try as a starter has gone much better than last year’s attempt. In 55 innings, the right-hander owns a quality 3.76 ERA, 3.33 FIP, and 1.418 WHIP. Although his 19.3% K% and 8.4% BB% do not stand out, he carries a solid 0.49 HR/9 ratio and 7.1% barrel percentage. Mlodzinski has started to go deeper into games. Each of his last five outings has lasted at least five innings, including one game in which he went six innings against the San Francisco Giants.
Jones Returning Soon, on a High Note
Jones turned in a very promising rookie season in 2024. His first 121 2/3 major league innings yielded a solid 4.14 ERA, 4.00 FIP, and 1.192 WHIP. He had both a healthy 26.2% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. Jones was in the 84th percentile of whiff rate (30.2%) and the 69th percentile of chase rate (30.2%). Home runs and hard contact were where he struggled the most, with a 1.33 HR/9 ratio, 27th percentile exit velocity (89.6 MPH), and 14th percentile barrel rate (9.8%).
His minor league rehab has gone about as well as one can expect. In 18 1/3 innings, Jones has only allowed six earned runs, with six walks, and 25 strikeouts. Of course, how his stuff looks is much more important than the bottom line results, given his current situation, and there is no doubt Jones is picking up right where he left off. His four-seam fastball is sitting 98.4 MPH, topping out at 101.1 MPH. He sat at 97.3 MPH in 2024.
On top of that, his fastball has gained about an inch of arm-side run. Although his curveball has lost some movement, it has also gained about four MPH of speed. That’s not the only pitch that has gained velocity, as his change-up has gone from 89.9 MPH to 92.5 MPH, and with 14.5 inches of arm-side break, compared to 11.9 inches in 2024.
2 strikeouts for Jared Jones in a scoreless 2nd! pic.twitter.com/3sEQY3XFzq
— Christian ✞ (@CWolfPGH) May 23, 2026
No Six-Man Rotation
The Pirates do not need to use a six-man rotation to give both Carmen Mlodzinski and Jared Jones starts regularly. After all, a six-man rotation would take starts away from Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, and Braxton Ashcraft. However, there are still ways the Pirates can solve the problem of too many starters to get both pitchers regular outings.
How the Pirates Can Fit Both Pitchers
The Pirates are more than likely going to put Jones on a workload limit this year. He hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2024, and he has pitched 130+ innings in a year just once since he was drafted in 2020. He likely isn’t the only Pirates starter on a workload limit. While the Bucs will give Ashcraft as many starts as possible this year, 2025 marked the first time he has thrown at least 100 frames in a season since the Pirates drafted him in 2020.
Mlodzinski can still start games once every other week or so, so that they can better manage Jones’ and Ashcraft’s workload. Plus, they can utilize both Mlodzinski and Jones in a piggyback role when needed. He can also piggyback with Bubba Chandler, too, if that is required, given some of his struggles with control in the first half of the season.
Main Photo Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images
