Yankees make key roster decision with top prospect Spencer Jones originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees didn’t have to devote a ton of thought to this decision.
On Tuesday, they added Spencer Jones to their 40-man roster. That protects him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft.
The New York Post’s Greg Joyce reported the news, adding that Elmer Rodriguez and Chase Hampton will join Jones on the 40 as new additions.
Jones has a chance to play with the big club in 2026.
The 6-foot-7 Jones will be “in the conversation,” GM Brian Cashman said, via MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.
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Jones will turn 25 in May. It’s about time for him to get his chance.
He split this season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In his 49 Double-A games, Jones hit 16 homers.
Then in 67 Triple-A games, Jones hit another 19 homers.
All told, he batted .274 with a .932 OPS that included 23 doubles, 35 homers, 80 RBI and 29 stolen bases across the two levels.
Jones being the same height as Aaron Judge while coming up in the Yankees’ system has drawn some simplistic comparisons. But Jones is a lefty hitter with even more swing and miss than Judge, so it’s not perfect.
The Yankees were never likely to end up with another Judge, anyway.
But the raw power of Jones can surely be a useful component to any lineup. The Yankees will just have to figure out how he might fit before making any final roster determinations when the spring rolls around.
