The New York Yankees are going to have a hard time keeping Spencer Jones out of the Bronx if he continues to mash.
The Yankees outfield prospect launched another homer, his second of the spring, in his only at-bat of their 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday.
Jones, a highly volatile outfield prospect, now shares the major-league lead for spring-training home runs with 19 other players, including teammates Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge.
But Jones has his two homers in just six at-bats and seven plate appearances over three games.
Spencer Jones Homered Again for the Yankees on Thursday
Jones is coming off a 35-homer season over Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, and Yankees fans keeping close tabs in Tampa have seen Jones’ power on full display.
After taking two pitches that just missed off the outside corner, Jones launched a 2-0 fastball 401 feet deep out of Steinbrenner Field for a solo blast off Austin Pope that put New York ahead 7-3.
Jones has had just seven plate appearances for the Yankees this season and has scored in each of the three times he reached base. Aside from his two hits, each homers, he also scored after taking his lone walk of the preseason.
Yankees fans are also seeing Jones is a three-outcome hitter, since he has one walk, two home runs and four strikeouts in those seven plate appearances. Jones had 179 strikeouts in 2025, including 109 in just 298 plate appearances in Triple-A, and had 200 in 544 plate appearances in Double-A in 2024.
Still, Jones is slashing .333/.429/1.333 in spring training so far, and his power could be important for the Yankees, especially amid the Giancarlo Stanton news that was revealed Thursday. Stanton told reporters he would never be fully healthy for the Yankees and couldn’t open a bottle due to tendinitis in his elbows.
“He’s actually doing well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on YES Network. “Him not being in these [spring-training] games has nothing to do with [his injury]. It’s just delaying the clock.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr and Paul Goldschmidt Both Homered Thursday Too
The Yankees teed off against old friend Carlos “Cookie” Carrasco on Thursday, who made the start for Atlanta.
They scored five runs in the first inning, keyed by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s first homer of the spring. Then in the third inning, Goldschmidt launched a fly ball 396 feet for his second homer of the spring — his final hit for the Yankees before joining the United States at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
“I didn’t find out until the end of the offseason that I was going to be [playing in the World Baseball Classic],” Goldschmidt told Meredith Marakovits of YES. “So I just had a normal offseason.”
Goldschmidt, who signed a one-year contract to return to the Yankees earlier this month, had other potentially more lucrative options, but felt strongly about going back to New York.
“I loved my time here last year; I love the guys in that clubhouse,” Goldschmidt said. “It felt like my time here wasn’t done. I’m glad the Yankees felt the same way, and hopefully we can come back here and improve on last year and win a championship.”
Yankees Prospect Continues Hot Spring Training Start by Homering Again