Yanks' 6-7 sluggers Jones, Judge (TWICE) open spring with HRs

TAMPA, Fla. -- Reflecting on his hottest stretch in the Minor Leagues last season, Spencer Jones said it felt “like I could show up, hit anybody, and hit the ball out of the ballpark.”

That encapsulated how the Yankees prospect handled his first Grapefruit League at-bat of the spring on Saturday, blasting a long home run that cleared the right-field seating area at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Not to be outdone, Yankees captain Aaron Judge connected on deep drives in both the third and fourth innings, providing more grist for fans who have dreamed of having both 6-foot-7 sluggers in the same lineup.

Jones’ second-inning solo blast off the Tigers’ Keider Montero turned around a 94.8 mph four-seamer, coming off the bat at 111.7 mph and traveling a Statcast-calculated 408 feet.

The swing showcased the power that has been Jones’ calling card, including 35 homers in 438 Minor League at-bats last season. He finished 2025 rated by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect.

Jones split last season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting a combined .274/.362/.571 with 23 doubles, 80 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in 116 games.

With 179 strikeouts, swing-and-miss is still a concern, but general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged Jones would be receiving big league playing time in other organizations right now.

With the Yankees, he’s currently blocked by a starting outfield of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Judge, with Jasson Domínguez also potentially on the outside looking in.

“In my mind, this is the best organization to play for,” Jones said earlier this spring. “If opportunities come later, I think it’s for good reason. We’re trying to help the team win a World Series.”

Judge is getting an early start to his spring as he prepares to represent Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, denting the center-field batter’s eye facing Burch Smith.

Judge, who had seven multi-homer games last season, hit his second home run of the spring in the fourth off Ricky Vanasco.