Pirates designate Justin Lawrence for assignment to clear roster spot for Jared Jones

What happened

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the designation for assignment of right-hander Justin Lawrence, a move the club made to clear both active and 40-man roster space. Per MLB Trade Rumors, the corresponding move is the activation of right-hander Jared Jones from the 60-day injured list — with Jones reportedly set to start Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park.

The 60-day IL is worth a brief note here: unlike the 10-day or 15-day variants, a stint on the 60-day IL does not count against the 40-man roster, which is why Jones' return required a corresponding subtraction. Lawrence was the subtraction.

Why it matters

Lawrence's DFA closes a chapter that began with some genuine optimism. The Pirates claimed him off waivers ahead of the 2025 season, per MLB Trade Rumors, with the reasonable working theory that removing a pitcher from Coors Field — where Lawrence had spent 2021 through 2024 with the Rockies, posting a 5.43 ERA over that stretch — might unlock something. Last year, in a limited sample, it appeared to work. Lawrence made 17 appearances after missing a few months due to elbow inflammation, and the results were striking: a 0.51 ERA. His walk rate of 11.6% was on the high side, but the overall line was difficult to argue with.

This season, the argument has been considerably easier. In 22 innings for Pittsburgh, Lawrence has allowed earned runs at a 5.32 per-nine clip, and his 11.3% walk rate has remained a persistent concern. He has surrendered four home runs. The strikeout and ground-ball indicators — a 23.6% strikeout rate and a 43.1% ground-ball rate, per MLB Trade Rumors — are described as decent, but the combination of free passes and balls leaving the yard has made the overall package difficult to deploy with confidence. The Pirates, per the report, were expecting considerably more.

The more immediate story, of course, is Jones. A reported activation from the 60-day IL to make a start is the kind of roster news that tends to overshadow the corresponding move, and Jones drawing the Friday start against Taj Bradley and the Twins is the operational headline. Lawrence's DFA is the mechanism; Jones' return is the event.

The numbers

Lawrence's 2026 season line, as reported by MLB Trade Rumors: 22 innings pitched, a 5.32 ERA, a 23.6% strikeout rate, a 43.1% ground-ball rate, an 11.3% walk rate, and four home runs allowed. For context, his walk rate this year essentially mirrors the 11.6% figure he posted across his 17 appearances in 2025 — the number that drew notice even during his otherwise excellent abbreviated campaign.

His four-year ERA with Colorado from 2021 through 2024 was 5.43, per MLB Trade Rumors.

Where the club stands

At 82-80 (.506), the Pirates are playing out a season that has already been mathematically resolved in the standings. Third place in the NL Central, 21 games back in the division, Pittsburgh is eliminated from both the division and Wild Card races — sitting fifth in the Wild Card picture, 6.0 games relative to the cut line. They arrive at this series on a one-game winning streak, which is the kind of detail that reads differently when October is no longer on the table.

The upcoming schedule at PNC Park features three games against the Minnesota Twins. Friday's probable matchup is Jones against Taj Bradley. Saturday lines up Mitch Keller against Bailey Ober. Sunday closes the series with Braxton Ashcraft against Zebby Matthews. For a club whose playoff path has closed, the rotation's health and development carry a different kind of weight — the kind that shows up in offseason conversations rather than October brackets.

Is Jones actually starting Friday?

Per MLB Trade Rumors, it was reported the day before the announcement that Jones would be activated from the 60-day IL to start Friday's game. The Pirates' announcement of Lawrence's DFA is consistent with that report, as it creates the necessary 40-man roster space. The activation itself, and the start, should be treated as reported and expected rather than formally announced — though the club's corresponding roster move makes the picture fairly clear.

What we don't know yet

Lawrence's immediate future is unresolved in the way that all DFA situations are: under general league roster rules, a player designated for assignment must be traded, released, or placed on outright waivers within seven days, with outright waivers running 48 hours. Whether Pittsburgh attempts to trade him, releases him outright, or routes him through waivers is not addressed in the report.

There is also the matter of what Lawrence's 2025 performance — that 0.51 ERA in 17 appearances — means for his market, if any. A pitcher who posted that line a year ago, even in a small sample, is not without a case to make to another organization. Whether anyone makes that call is, for now, an open question.

The scope of Jones' IL stint, the nature of his absence, and any workload considerations attached to his return are not detailed in the available reporting. A pitcher returning from the 60-day IL to make a start is a notable event on its own terms, but the specifics of what Pittsburgh might ask of him — pitch counts, inning limits, any kind of ramp-up structure — remain unaddressed in the material at hand.

What to watch

The obvious thread to follow is Jones on the mound Friday against Minnesota. His return from the 60-day IL is the story the Lawrence DFA was built around, and how he performs — and how the Pirates manage him across the Twins series — will tell you more about Pittsburgh's rotation picture heading into June than any roster transaction can.

Lawrence's waiver claim status is worth a quiet eye as well. A pitcher with a 0.51 ERA on his recent résumé, even across a modest 17-appearance sample, tends to attract at least a look from clubs cycling through bullpen options in late May. Whether he clears waivers or finds a new home elsewhere is the secondary thread here — low-stakes for Pittsburgh at this point in their season, but potentially meaningful for Lawrence himself.

The broader rotation picture — Keller on Saturday, Ashcraft on Sunday — fills out a weekend that doubles as a quiet audition for a team playing games that matter more to the future than the present standings.