Spencer Jones isn’t going anywhere. The surging New York Yankees center-field prospect, who seemingly reinvigorated his stock with an incredible power display this summer, wasn’t traded before Thursday’s deadline despite murkiness surrounding his future.
Now the question is whether the Yankees believe his lefty bat can help them in the Bronx in the second half — or if they will dangle him as a trade chip this offseason.
“He’s really done an amazing job,” general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday night, “as he’s closed the gap on his development to the big leagues that (are) in his future.”
It was unclear in the weeks approaching the deadline whether Yankees brass felt Jones’ stunning production at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was a mirage after years of striking out too much.
However, their belief in him seemed much more straightforward in recent days as they declined overtures from the Miami Marlins to include him in any potential deal that would have landed starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara in pinstripes, a league source said. Jones appeared to join shortstop 20-year-old George Lombard Jr. — The Athletic’s No. 14 prospect in the game — as perhaps the club’s only so-called untouchable prospects.
Cashman declined to describe them that way.
“You try to protect and stay away to the degree you can,” he said, “but some guys are more touchable than others.”
The Yankees’ feelings toward Jones seem much different from those they had in May, when a team source told The Athletic that some within the organization had become frustrated with the lack of progression and constant swing changes.
However, then he went on a tear.
After getting promoted on June 27, he’s hit .402/.461/.920 with 13 home runs, 25 RBIs, and a 1.380 OPS in 21 games at Triple A. He missed several games this week with back spasms, but returned to the lineup Tuesday. He also dominated in his final two weeks at Double-A Somerset, where the Yankees sent him to start the season after he set the franchise’s minor-league record for strikeouts with 200 last year.
“I knew there were glimpses of what I was capable of in seasons past, but the production, I had never felt true to myself or consistent,” Jones told The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner on July 21. “I think the way things have worked out this year is just a product of me being more comfortable within myself to flow naturally.”
The hot streak led the Yankees to an interesting quandary with Jones, their 2022 first-round pick from Vanderbilt.
Did they see Jones factoring into their outfield soon? Aaron Judge isn’t going anywhere for a long time. The club also still appears high on once-touted prospect Jasson Domínguez. Center fielder Trent Grisham will be a free agent after the season, and Cody Bellinger seems likely to opt out of his contract, leaving one year and $25 million on the table for greater riches in free agency.
If the Yankees believe in Jones, they could hand him the keys to center field as early as 2026. Or they could promote him in August or September. He played his last two games in right field — a sudden area of concern for the Yankees with Judge on the injured list with a right flexor tendon strain. The Yankees hope Judge will be back to full strength and playing defense again within a month, but if he heals slowly or has a setback, Jones might get his first chance in the majors.
Spencer Jones, in spring training, has hit .317/.413/.702 this season with 29 home runs. (Kim Klement Neitzel / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The Yankees’ player development department has had success in recent years graduating position players into big-league roles. This season, homegrown products Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Domínguez and Ben Rice have played significant parts. The club hopes Lombard is the next up.
For Jones, the challenge has always been the same. He was striking out too much in the minors to expect him to help in the majors.
Despite the power and athleticism that remind fans of Judge, Jones struggled to make contact. Last year, he carried a terrible 36.7 percent strikeout rate. He logged a 33.7 percent strikeout rate at Double A this season. However, at Triple A, he seemed to make some corrections that helped him drop that figure to 25.5 percent.
Jones said a significant change that helped him was flattening his swing path after it had gotten too loopy — in addition to myriad stance changes that have led to him standing open at the plate with his hands held high.
“There’s going to be a natural arc to the swing,” he said. “I’ve been focused on flattening the path to let those fly balls I hit to left field have a little more carry or the line drives to right get a little more backspin. It’s a delicate balance.”
Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler saw it all along in Jones.
“I was telling people,” Schlittler said, “When he gets up here (to Triple A), I think he’s going to hit these guys better. They’re more in the zone. More polished. I thought he was just going to absolutely dominate Triple A, which, obviously, he’s done. … Very toolsy dude. Puts the work in. Great guy off the field. He’s been very good down there.”
Triple-A manager Shelley Duncan said it’s not just Jones’ new swing that’s helped him. It’s that he’s finally felt comfortable with one approach long enough to see it pay off.
“I see a guy who’s got a solid feel,” Duncan said. “He’s going up there with a consistent setup. A consistent plan. He knows where his swing is right now. He knows what he wants to do. That gives up confidence at the plate just to see the ball and hit it and not worry too much about your swing. …
“I just see a confident hitter. I don’t see the guy who’s gone through a bunch of swing changes, like you hear people talk about.”
What Duncan does see is a top talent finally settling into cruise control.
“Honestly,” the manager said, “he’s gone up there and it looks like he’s himself. He’s not somebody who’s stepping outside of his body with no emotions or nerves or anything. It’s a guy who’s very comfortable being who he is. The results are really fun.”
Which is fitting. The words “Just Crusin’ ” are stitched in bright red on Jones’ outfield mitt. Pitcher Allan Winans said it was “kind of like his mantra.”
“It’s really a pleasure to see him put together the year he’s having,” Cashman said. “It is pretty exciting stuff. Looking forward to watching that journey continue.”
With Jones staying put, that journey — with years of twists and turns — may soon land him in the Bronx after all.
(Top photo: Mike Janes / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)