Pittsburgh Pirates fans have reason to keep a close eye on Altoona this week. Right-handed pitcher Jared Jones is set to continue his Major League rehab assignment with the Altoona Curve on Tuesday at Peoples Natural Gas Field, as announced on the team's weekly radio show.

Jones, now 24, is working his way back from right elbow surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season. After missing a full year of action, he's been steadily building up strength and stamina. He recently returned to the mound for outings in Bradenton and Indianapolis, and last Wednesday, he tossed three innings for the second consecutive appearance—a promising sign that his arm is responding well to the workload.

The Curve faithful will remember Jones from his dominant 2023 campaign, when he was named Altoona's Pitcher of the Year. In 10 starts, he held opponents to two runs or fewer in every outing, striking out 47 batters over 44 1/3 innings. That kind of consistency is exactly what the Pirates are hoping to see as he works toward a full recovery.

Jones burst onto the big-league scene with an unforgettable debut on March 29, 2024, when he fanned 10 Miami Marlins batters over 5 2/3 innings. He finished his rookie season with 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings and a 4.14 ERA, showing the kind of electric stuff that made him one of the organization's top pitching prospects. As he takes the mound in Altoona, every pitch is a step closer to returning to that form.