The New York Yankees, with a 24-11 record, are dominating the American League. With such a strong record, New York has the freedom to play with its roster like the front office pleases. This has been manifested in many ways like Jasson Dominguez being called up, and Luis Gil/Anthony Volpe being demoted to the minors.
However, the Yankees have yet to make an MLB decision on top prospect Spencer Jones, who remains in Triple-A. Despite producing at such a high level, the Yankees are still reluctant to give him the call to the show, and with a very concerning stat starting to surface, it makes sense why they haven’t yet.
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Yankees’ Spencer Jones Continues to Struggle with Strikeouts
GettyTAMPA, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 17: Spencer Jones #78 of the New York Yankees poses for a photo during New York Yankees Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 17, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
One of the persistent perils to Spencer Jones’ career thus far has been the strikeouts, especially in the minors, where pitchers are supposed to be a little easier to make contact off of, it remains a major issue for Spencer Jones.
Over 33 games with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Jones is having a highly productive season at the plate (minus the strikeouts). He has 10 home runs and 37 RBI over 111 ABs. However, he also has 43 strikeouts in that sample size.
Yankees reporter Chris Kirschner provided some context on how much Spencer Jones is swinging and missing this season:
“Jones’ issues remain the same. The power is otherworldly, but he’s still not making enough contact. According to FanGraphs, Jones’ 67.1 percent zone contact rate would be the worst for any MLB player since the stat started being tracked — and of course, Jones’ mark is from Triple-A.”
That type of stat is pretty much guaranteed to translate to MLB, and is likely why he hasn’t been called up this season.
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What Should the Yankees Do with Spencer Jones?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JULY 13: Spencer Jones #93 of the New York Yankees attempts to steal second base during the fourth inning of the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field on July 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
This is a question that has been asked many times within the Yankees organization, but it’s fair to ask what the Yankees should do with Spencer Jones.
If New York plans to keep him in the minors, which every indication this season shows that’s the plan, then New York should just trade Jones for an asset that can help the team right now. Stocking him in the minors isn’t going to benefit anyone.
The fix isn’t easy, as strikeouts will clearly just be a part of his game forever, but other MLB teams could benefit from the services of Jones, even if he does strike out 38% of the time.
That 38% strikeout rate is his current rate in Triple-A this season. Jones’ outfield position is blocked in New York, and if that ‘zone contact rate’ doesn’t get better soon, it doesn’t matter how many home runs Spencer Jones hits in the minors. We have seen a similar example recently with the Yankees optioning Anthony Volpe to the minors, who also has major strikeout issues.
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Concerning Spencer Jones Stat Makes it Obvious Why Yankees Haven’t Made MLB Decision Yet