Fans of the New York Yankees are drooling at the prospect of seeing power-hitting outfielder Spencer Jones play in the Bronx this season.
But even after Jones’ breakout 35-homer campaign across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, the Yankees are still concerned about his strikeouts. That led ESPN’s Aiden Gonzalez to call 2026 a “crucial year” for Jones ahead of spring training.
Gonzalez called Jones the Yankees’ “player to watch” while naming one intriguing roster player or prospect from each organization.
Jones, who will turn 25 in May, had 19 home runs and an .897 OPS for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year in 298 plate appearances. He hit 16 homers in Somerset in 49 games — nearly equaling his 2024 total of 17 in about one-third of the games.
The Yankees are Worried About Spencer Jones’ Strikeouts
Though striking out is less frowned on than it was a generation ago, Jones’ swing-and-miss rate is astounding.
Jones has a 37% strikeout rate over his minor-league career and had 200 Ks in just 482 ABs playing exclusively in Somerset in 2024. Even amid his breakout 2025 season, Jones had 179 Ks in 438 at-bats, a rate of more than four strikeouts per 10 at-bats.
“Jones has struck out a whopping 534 times in 357 minor league games over the past three years,” Gonzalez wrote for ESPN.com. “One Yankees source described him as having ‘a wide variance to his game,’ which is a polite way of saying he needs to cut down his strikeouts so that his power can truly emerge. This is a crucial year for him.”
If Jones can cut down on his swings and misses, he has all the makings of a five-tool player. He has stolen 25-plus bases in the minor leagues — a dumbfounding number for a player with a 6-7, 240-pound frame — and is primarily a centerfielder with “a plus arm” according to Gonzalez.
Jones also boasts a .271 career batting average, which is much better than usual for a player who strikes out as much as he does.
Spencer Jones is Likely to be Called up by the Yankees This Season
Even though the Yankees re-signed centerfielder Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger to huge-money contracts, Jones may have the chance to break spring training with the Yankees if he hits during Grapefruit League action.
But even if Jones starts the year in Triple-A, he isn’t likely to remain there for long.
“The Yankees don’t have an immediate opening for Jones, but team officials are fascinated to see how close the 6-foot-7 outfielder is to having an impact at the major league level,” Gonzalez wrote. “That should happen at some point this season.”
Despite primarily playing centerfield, Jones has the versatility to play multiple outfield positions, which Grisham does not. If there’s an injury to Grisham, Bellinger or captain Aaron Judge, Jones could easily step in and play left or right field.
But Jones’ strong defense also means if Grisham regresses — a entirely plausible outcome after he set a career high for homers (34) and OPS (.811) in 2025 — the youngster could step into centerfield for the incumbent, especially since Grisham is only playing on a one-year, $22.025 million contract.
ESPN Calls Yankees Prospect Spencer Jones’ 2026 a ‘Crucial Year’