Tbe Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Wednesday that first baseman Emmanuel Valdez of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, and starting pitcher Jared Jones of Whittier, California would be gone for the remainder of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season with shoulder surgeries according to Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. Jones had his ulnar collateral ligament repaired and is projected to be gone between 10 to 12 months. Valdez, meanwhile, is projected to be gone six months.
Jared Jones
Jones had not pitched this season. He reportedly experienced discomfort during a throwing session in April.
In 2024, Jones was a rookie starting pitcher for the Pirates. He had a record of six wins and eight losses with an earned run average of 4.14. During 22 games and 121 2/3 innings pitched, Jones gave up 106 hits, 56 earned runs, 18 home runs and 39 walks, to go along with 132 strikeouts, 11 quality starts, and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.19.
Jones’s most electrifying performance came on May 4 in a 1-0 Pirates win over the Colorado Rockies. Jones pitched seven shutout innings, and had 10 strikeouts compared to zero walks, and gave up only one hit.
Emmanuel Valdez
Valdez batted .209 with two home runs and 12 runs batted in this season. During 31 games, 91 at bats and 102 plate appearances, he scored seven runs and had 19 hits, four doubles, two triples, 11 walks, and 33 total bases, to go along with an on base percentage of .294 and a slugging percentage of .363.
This is Valdez’s first season with the Pirates organization. He was traded from the Boston Red Sox on December 15 for minor leaguer Joe Vogatsky.
Basement in the National League Central
The Pirates are in fifth place in the National League Central. They have a record of 17 wins and 33 losses for a winning percentage of .340 after 50 games. The Pirates are 13 games back of the Chicago Cubs in the division.
