Jones only goes four against Phillies

Jones surrendered a solo homer to Sal Stewart in the first inning. The Reds brought a second run in on a pair of hits in the third. A walk, double, and a fielding error brought two more runs in to score in the fifth. Jones would depart with two outs in the inning at 81 pitches. He struck out four. The 24-year-old right-hander has completed five innings in just one of six starts so far in his return. He’ll take a 5.76 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and a 25/9 K/BB ratio across 25 innings into a start against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Thursday.

There was concern earlier this week whether Jones would be ready to take the ball for his next start after being hit on the back of his throwing elbow by a line drive during last weekend’s start against the Rockies. The 24-year-old former top prospect underwent X-rays that came back negative for any fractures and has been cleared to take the ball at PNC Park on Saturday afternoon.

Imaging came back clean for Jones after he left Sunday’s game when he was hit in the elbow by a line drive in the fifth inning, and Kelly called the results for Jones “encouraging.” Whether the right-hander can make that start will likely be determined by how Jones feels in the coming days, but for now, it does appear he’s avoided a significant injury. If he can’t go Carmen Mlodzinski could get the nod.

Jones was hit on the back of his pitching elbow by a liner and forced from his start Sunday against the Rockies. Assuming there isn’t too much bruising and swelling, he might be spared another IL stint. The Pirates could have Carmen Mlodzinski start next time through if Jones does miss some time.

Jones was really frustrated after getting hit on the back of the elbow, though he was swinging his arm freely as he left the field. Yohan Ramírez replaced him at the start of the fourth inning.

Jones allowed only five hard-hit balls, but two of those were two-run homers. This leaves Jones with a 6.23 ERA in four starts since returning from elbow surgery. His 18/6 K/BB in 17 1/3 innings is fine, but he’s given up four homers and a .360 BABIP, even though the contact against him hasn’t been particularly hard. It seems worth sticking with him for now, even if his next start in Coors Field doesn’t bode particularly well.

Jones struck out four and walked one. He was pulled after 75 pitches for bulk reliever Carmen Mlodzinski. Jones has yet to throw more than 77 pitches or complete more than five innings in any of his three starts since returning from elbow surgery. It’s likely out of an abundance of caution for the 24-year-old righty. He has another tough matchup next time out against the A’s in Sacramento.

Jones scattered four hits and a pair of walks on the evening. The Astros put pressure on him in the opening inning by putting the first two runners on, but Jones battled back to strike out each of the next three hitters in order to quell that threat. From there, he was on cruise control over the next four innings, needing just 74 pitches (44 strikes) to complete five innings. Jones got 12 whiffs on the night — six of those on his slider — while posting a CSW of 27 percent. He’ll look to replicate this terrific effort as he does battle against the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Let’s start with the bad news. Jones served up a solo homer to Kody Clemens and a two-run blast to Trevor Larnach a couple frames later, with both long balls coming against his fastball. Not great. There were some positive takeaways for the dynamic 24-year-old as he averaged 99 mph on his fastball and topped out at 101.5 mph in his first major-league start since September 27, 2024. He finished with six strikeouts and only handed out two free passes. Jones remains a work in progress after missing last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but his talent and strikeout upside are undeniable, which makes him worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy leagues. He’ll make his next start against the Astros at Daikin Park on Thursday.

He’ll get the ball against the Twins tonight in what looks to be a decent matchup. Jones has pitched well on his rehab assignment, but he’ll be hard to trust for a win given his high pitch count during rehab was just 76. Still, he’s worth picking up in most leagues.