The Yankees already have one 6-foot-7 outfielder who was a buzzy college product with big power and surprising athleticism. Is there room for another?
The comparisons to Aaron Judge started as soon as the Yankees selected Spencer Jones out of Vanderbilt with the 25th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. And the gifted-yet-flawed prospect has been an intriguing-yet-divisive name that pops up regularly in Yankees circles, especially among the fanbase.
There was the prodigious performance in 2025, when Jones hit 35 homers -- second most in the Minor Leagues -- and stole 29 bases with a .932 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A.
And of course, there was the impressive Spring Training when he led all Yankees with six dingers, posted a 1.526 OPS and showed off the Shohei Ohtani-like swing similarities that caused quite a stir.
Now the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees’ system, Jones is off to a solid -- if not quite as loud as hoped -- start this year back at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Through Thursday, he’s slashing .231/.351/.500 with 16 runs, five homers and 24 RBIs in 22 games.
On the flip side to all of that, though, is Jones’ bugaboo: strikeouts. He racked up a whopping 200 in 124 games in 2024, another 179 in 116 games a year ago and has 35 so far this season. And that’s in the Minor Leagues, where pitching isn’t as precise and overwhelming as it can be in the Majors.
When it comes to Jones, his eye-popping tools are hard to miss, but he also comes with quite a bit of swing-and-miss. So … what should the Yankees do with Spencer Jones?
Bring him up already!
Let’s see what Jones can do in The Show. The likelihood is that, at the very least, his elite power will play at the big league level, so give him a chance to get his feet wet.
Think: A platoon/backup/pinch-hitter role where the lefty-swinging Jones could start showing what he’s capable of, even if it’s only a few games a week. Plus, that would allow the Yankees to deploy him strategically, in favorable matchups against right-handed starters or relievers.
Thing is, the Yankees’ decision-makers have said they don’t want to promote Jones without an avenue to regular at-bats. Admittedly, that’s tough when three spots where he could see playing time -- right field, left field and DH -- are occupied by three of the highest-paid Yankees in Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, respectively.
“He's currently blocked with us,” general manager Brian Cashman said of Jones in February, shortly after the Yankees re-signed Bellinger.
That said, could Jones play center field -- his primary position as a pro -- to spell Trent Grisham from time to time? Possibly, although that likely would give back something on defense. Barring an injury, the most likely potential role would have Jones seeing some time in center, filling in at the outfield corners and/or providing a platoon partner for Stanton against tough righties.
That wouldn't make Jones a regular starter necessarily, but it would be an opportunity nonetheless.
Let him keep working on his game at Triple-A
Fact of the matter is, Jones -- despite turning 25 in less than a month -- has not yet played 90 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And there clearly are aspects of his game and his offensive approach that could get better by repetition and focus at Triple-A.
“There’s still improvements that he needs to make in his game,” manager Aaron Boone said when discussing Jones during the spring. “And the good thing is, he’s done that. He’s shown that. He had a really good platform year at the upper levels last year. I feel like he’s continued to make adjustments this winter.”
That may be so, but the proof is playing out now that Jones is at the Minors’ highest level, where Statcast tracking is available to provide context on his ability -- or inability -- to make consistent contact.
To that end, Jones’ 23.8% whiff rate this year is the highest among all Triple-A hitters (minimum 20 plate appearances). He also is continuing to chase pitches out of the zone 19.5% of the time, which ranks among the 25 highest rates.
If he can make adjustments and enhancements in his plate discipline to go with what is one of Triple-A’s highest average exit velocities at 94.6 mph, it would go a long way toward Jones forcing the Yankees to bring him up in a capacity that could lead to something close to regular at-bats.
Trade him for a 2026 need
For such a strong start this season at 16-9 and riding a six-game winning streak, the Yankees have areas that could use bolstering. Two spots they almost certainly will look to address by the Trade Deadline are third base, where Ryan McMahon is sporting a sub-.500 OPS, and the bullpen, which lacks depth, consistency and proven arms with big stuff outside of closer David Bednar.
Jones is no stranger to trade rumors, and past reports have indicated the Yankees’ hesitancy to move him because of his potential. That’s understandable … to an extent.
Because don’t forget, the organization has been down this road very recently with another uber-hyped phenom. That’s right: We’ve made it this far into a story about Jones wedging into the Yankees’ outfield situation without yet mentioning Jasson DomĂnguez.
“The Martian” was supposed to be the Next Big Thing in the Bronx, and it sure looked like that was going to be the case when the switch-hitting outfielder put on a show in his September 2023 debut season at age 20.
Alas, Tommy John surgery soon followed, and it took DomĂnguez most of 2024 to make it back to the Yankees. After an underwhelming 2025, in which he hit .257/.331/.388 and then barely played in the postseason, DomĂnguez was sent down at the end of Spring Training. In fact, he’s probably more likely than Jones to be called up should an outfield need arise.
Given all of the above, perhaps the best course of action for the Yankees might be to keep Jones at Triple-A -- in the same outfield as DomĂnguez -- and hope he gets hot leading up to the Trade Deadline, like he did last summer. If an outfield spot does open up the Bronx, it could be Jones’ turn.
Otherwise, if he remains with the RailRiders, each long homer and high-exit-velo base hit would serve to build buzz that the front office could capitalize on with a blockbuster to make the team better by filling a need or two. That way, the Yankees could use Spencer to keep up with the Joneses.
MLB.com’s Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch contributed to this story.