Aaron Judge Backs Spencer Jones as Yankees Face Dilemma

Joining the home run party himself on Saturday, Judge left the yard twice in three at-bats. Speaking with reporters postgame, the reigning back-to-back AL MVP shared his thoughts on Jones.

"The minute [Jones] puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he’s ready to hit," Judge said (via MLB.com). "They might have gotten him with a lot of high heaters in the past, or even last season. I think that’s just going to help him."

Judge added, "He doesn’t have a big leg kick and doesn’t have to worry about trying to get that down. I liked the results I saw in that first at-bat. That quickness, that readiness, it’s really going to be a game-changer for him."

This praise from Judge comes as the Yankees face a dilemma on their highly-touted prospect. While Jones is knocking on the door of an MLB debut, he is also blocked by three established outfielders in Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. New York also has switch-hitter Jasson Dominguez in the fold who appeared in 123 games last season.

While he has the Judge co-sign, Jones' path to New York is currently unclear. The team has been unwilling to trade him, even for proven MLB talent, but when Grisham was re-signed for $22 million this offseason, it indicated Jones was likely Triple-A bound to begin 2026.

Having too many options is a good problem to have, but it's a problem nonetheless for New York. If Jones' big swing on Saturday was a sign of things to come this spring, the Yankees will be facing an even tougher dilemma when it comes time to finalize their Opening Day roster.