PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed rookie pitcher Jared Jones on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a strain in his right tackle.
The Pirates made the change less than 24 hours after Jones’ departure after five innings and 78 pitches in what turned out to be a 5-4 victory over the Cardinals.
Coach Derek Shelton downplayed the nature of the injury on Wednesday. He struck a more cautious tone Thursday after a 3-2 loss to St. Louis, saying the team was still determining the severity of the injury.
“I think everyone knows what he means to us and where we are, so out of an abundance of caution he’s still being evaluated,” Shelton said.
Jones reported feeling discomfort in his right side during the game, but said afterward, “nothing to worry about, I don’t think.”
Jones, 22, is 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 91 innings. The Pirates have been carefully monitoring Jones’ workload lately. The team skipped his return to the rotation last week in hopes of giving him a breather.
Although Jones allowed just one run in five innings against St. Louis, he didn’t hit 100 mph once, a rarity during his 16 starts.
The IL move means Jones won’t be back before the All-Star break.
Pittsburgh promoted outfielder Josh Palacios from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Jones’ spot on the roster. Palacios hit .311 with five doubles and one home run in 21 games in the minors this season. Palacios served as a pinch hitter on Thursday.
