Garrett Jones is currently dealing with some soreness on his left side. The issue caused him to be scratched from Thursday's lineup, though it's not known how long he'll be sidelined. We'll should know more in the next couple of days.

Garrett Jones was scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup. Brad Hawpe will start in his place at first base. No word yet on the reason for the change. Some have speculated on Jones as a potential fit for the Yankees, but there's no indication that the Pirates have talked trade with them.

Pirates avoided arbitration with 1B Garrett Jones by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5 million contract. Jones, 31, will get a raise from the $2.25 million he made last season. He was arbitration-eligible for the second time as a Super Two qualifier, and remains under team control through 2015.

Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that interest in Garrett Jones has "picked up." Biertempfel adds that the Orioles have "lost interest" in Jones, but apparently other clubs are keen on him. It's a little surprising that the Pirates are apparently interested in moving him since they fancy themselves as contenders in 2013. But, with Jones coming off a career-high 27 homers in 2012 and his salary set to shoot up in arbitration, the Bucs might view this as the best time to deal him. If Jones is traded, Gaby Sanchez would be in line to start at first base.

Garrett Jones broke out of his mini-slump, smashing a solo homer in a losing effort against the Astros on Friday. He finished the night 1-for-4 with the eighth inning blast off Rhiner Cruz. He had been hitless in 13 at-bats on the week heading into the game. Even with the recent slump, he's hitting an impressive .276/.317/.515 with 24 bombs and 78 RBI on the season.

Garrett Jones reached base all five trips to the plate in Sunday's loss to the Brewers, finishing 3-for-3 with a homer and a pair of walks. Jones also scored three times on the afternoon. His solo shot off Kameron Loe in the sixth inning was one of three Pirates' homers in the game, and brought the Buccos to within 11-8. He continues to post impressive numbers on the season, hitting .286/.324/.549 with 23 bombs and 73 RBI.

Garrett Jones went 1-for-4 with a solo home run as the Pirates fell to the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday. After the Brewers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, Jones finally got the Pirates on the board with a solo blast off Mark Rogers in the fourth inning. He's now hitting an impresive .281 with 22 homers and 72 RBI on the season, with the 22 long balls setting a new career-high for Jones.

Garrett Jones went 3-for-4 and hit a game-tying two-run homer in the top of the ninth against the Padres on Tuesday. Jones came up big tonight, but it wasn't quite enough, as the Pirates lost in 10 innings. He also had a solo homer, giving him his second multi-homer game in a week. He has eight homers and 32 RBI in 37 games since the All-Star break. During August, he's driven in 20 runs in 20 games.

Garrett Jones hit a pair of three-run homers off Joe Blanton to lead the Pirates to a 10-6 win over the Dodgers on Thursday. The red-hot Jones is batting .312 with seven homers and 27 RBI in 32 games since the All-Star break. With 19 homers and 64 RBI for the season, he's already bested his 2011 totals in each category (16 homers, 58 RBI in 148 games).

Garrett Jones had a nice night at the dish in Friday's loss to the Padres, going 2-for-4 with a solo homer and three runs scored. While he's virtually useless against left-handed pitching, Jones is enjoying a very nice season in the middle of the Pirates lineup, as he's now hitting .276 with 17 homers and 53 RBI. If deployed properly, he can be a tremendous asset in fantasy leagues down the stretch.