The Pirates placed right-hander on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, and manager Derek Shelton gave and other reporters some details on the lat strain that has put the star rookie on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Jones suffered a Grade 2 strain and isnt likely to throw for the next two weeks, so the team can allow him to rest and recover before checking on his progre s. If all goes well and Jones is able to restart a throwing program at that time, Jones could be on track to return perhaps by early August, based on past timelines for other pitchers who have suffered similar injuries. It wouldnt be surprising to see Jones get a bit more recovery time, both as a precautionary measure given his importance to the Pirates future, and because the team was already taking steps to manage the workloads of both Jones and in their mutual. Only two of Jones 16 starts have come on the standard four days of rest, as the Bucs have used a six-man rotation for the majority of the season. Jones threw a career-high 126 1/3 innings combined between Double-A and Triple-A ball in 2023, and he is up to 91 innings in the big leagues this year. Jones last start on July 3 came Emmanuel Ramirez Jersey after an 11-day break, as he had a turn in the rotation skipped in order to help keep him fresh. Shelton didnt think the layoff played a role in Jones injury, as the Pirates still had Jones take part in a live bullpen se sion ( We did ramp his intensity up, we still did make sure he threw ) during his 11 days between starts, and instead chalked the lat strain up the vagaries of baseball. While its good news that Jones injury isnt overly serious, mi sing him for even a month is a hit to Pittsburghs postseason hopes. The Pirates are 42-45 entering todays play but are still four games out of a wild card spot, so there is time for the team to still mount a run or, if things go south before July 30, to explore selling at the trade deadline. s status is a key factor in how the Pirates July might play out, and the closer made progre s in his injury recovery with a live batting practice se sion today. As per MLB.coms Alex Stumpf ( ), Bednar faced five batters over the course of 21 pitches, with Bednar using his entire arsenal. A left oblique strain sent Bednar to the 15-day IL on June 20, and while he has already mi sed beyond the 15-day minimum, todays throwing se sion is a good sign that he might not be too far away from a minor league rehab a signment or even a straight-ahead activation. The closer has 16 saves and a somewhat deceptive 5.17 ERA over 31 1/3 innings this season, as Bednar has been lights-out following a rough April. Speaking of bullpen injuries, Pittsburgh called right-hander up from Triple-A today after righty was placed on the 15-day IL. Jefferies is dealing with discomfort in his right elbow, and the injury comes just under two months after the Pirates claimed Jefferies off waivers from the Giants. Jefferies has a 9.82 ERA split between 10 innings for Pittsburgh (6.30 ERA) and 4 2/3 frames with San Francisco (17.36 ERA), and both clubs have optioned him back and forth from Triple-A on multiple occasions. This marked Jefferies return to big league action after mi sing all of 2023 recovering from both a thoracic outlet syndrome surgery and then a Tommy John surgery within a six-month span in 2022. Considering that Jefferies also had another TJ procedure earlier in his career, it isnt a good sign that he is experiencing another bout of elbow sorene s. Kevin Gausman Jersey