PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Typically you hear about a Major League Baseball pitcher’s elbow injury and you immediately expect the fix to be Tommy John surgery. What is the difference between that surgery and the procedure performed on Pirates starter Jared Jones?
The Pirates organization has been very careful to make sure it’s understood what Jared Jones had performed on him Wednesday not Tommy John surgery where the return is typically 12-15 months, sometimes longer. What Jones had was ‘revision surgery’ or the term ‘InternalBrace’ is also used. The distinction, as explained by Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, is the procedure is a revision or repair to the elbow as opposed to reconstruction.
The revision surgery has a shorter recovery time (typically 10-12 months) and as Cherington stated Thursday ‘it puts 2026 more confidently in play’.
Initially following the discomfort in March, Jones, Pirates doctors and specialist Dr. Keith Meister took a gamble that conservative care rehab might be all Jones needed. Even though he was able to make progress, last week the symptoms returned and it was determined surgery was needed. But there was hope to trying the revision.
Cherington said there were numerous conversations between Jones, and his representatives, and Dr. Meister, who has performed both surgeries. What Dr. Meister needed to do was get permission from the Pirates righty to once he opened him up to see if he could complete the revision instead of reconstruction.
He was able to avoid the reconstruction.
“We believe that this procedure was the right procedure for him and gives him a chance to pitch successfully for a long time,” Cherington said. “We all know pitching. There's no forever guarantee with it. We know that with any pitcher.”
While there isn’t as much data with the revision surgery history because it hasn’t been around as long, Cherington doesn’t view this as a ‘temporary’ fix. He said it’s just two choices and says this innovation hopefully allows Jones to get on the field sooner.
“In this case, one of the leading experts in the world felt strongly that that was the right choice for Jared,” Cherington said.
Manager Don Kelly said he briefly talked to Jones and said he’s doing good. He had a follow-up Thursday and if that goes well he will head back to Florida to rest.
“We know he’s going to dominate the rehab,” Kelly said.