It feels like Spencer Jones has been a top prospect within the New York Yankees’ system forever. He was originally selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft and has slowly worked his way up in the minors ever since, but he is now 24 years old, and he still hasn’t sniffed the big leagues.
Jones turns 25 in May, and it’s getting to a point where he almost can’t be considered a prospect anymore. So what’s the deal? Will the 6-foot-7 slugger be on the Opening Day roster in 2026?
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Brendan Kuty of The Athletic recently fielded a fan question about Jones and what’s in store for his future, and Kuty doesn’t seem to believe Jones has a chance of starting in left field next season, contrary to what general manager Brian Cashman said.
“Everything short of a starting job in the outfield on Opening Day appears on the table for the 24-year-old,” Kuty wrote. “The educated guess here is that the Yankees hold him into spring training to see what he’s got. (If Jones isn’t around, it’s because he’s been used as a piece of a major trade, and it’s too early to predict that.)”
Cashman said earlier this month that Jones would be competing with Jasson Dominguez for the starting job in left field (assuming Cody Bellinger departs). He also said earlier in the offseason that Jones would have an opportunity to start next spring.
But realistically speaking, the chances of Jones actually winning a starting job out of camp seem very slim given how he ended his 2025 campaign.
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Jones was cruising over his first several months between Double-A and Triple-A, particularly in June and July when he combined for 20 home runs while posting OPSes of 1.051 and 1.423, respectively.
As a result, there was speculation that the 240-pound behemoth could potentially be called up later in the season, but a .180/.250/.306 slash line in August put an end to that discussion. He was certainly better in September, slashing .262/.333/.492, but concerns remained.
Jones struck out 179 times over 506 plate appearances this past season, which put quite a damper on the fact that he also smashed 35 homers while posting a .932 OPS. He also stole 29 bases.
The talent is clearly there for the Vanderbilt product, but his penchant for whiffing has clearly been a significant deterrent for the Yankees, who already have multiple heavy strikeout sluggers on their roster.
We’ll see if Jones finally reaches the major-league level in 2026. That’s if he doesn’t get traded beforehand, of course.
