New York Yankees' Spencer Jones Thriving at Triple-A, But Is He a Trade Candidate?

With the RailRiders, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound outfielder is batting .385 with an OPS of 1.315.

Jones, 24, was the team’s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt. Before his promotion, he was at Double-A Somerset, where he hit .274 with 16 homers and 32 RBIs in 49 games.

Despite the stellar season, expect to hear fan chatter in the coming weeks about whether the Yankees should hold on to Jones or trade him before the July 31 deadline to address what general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday are key needs: pitching – both starters and relievers – and an infielder.

The Yankees designated veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu for assignment on Wednesday.  

"That's a long list,” Cashman told reporters of the team’s needs. “I'm not sure if this will be a deep deadline or not, so I don't know how active we can be. But we will try to be active, I can tell you that, and we will try to import improvements."

But does Cashman, who is striving for a New York return to the World Series, consider Jones a candidate to export?

He didn’t name names when it came to the prospect of trading, well, prospects. But Jones is a valuable one. Infielder George Lombard Jr. is the Yankees’ top prospect and the only New York player in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, ranked No. 36 and currently playing at Double-A Somerset. He has an estimated arrival in the majors of 2027.

"Some less touchable than others,” he responded when a reporter asked if any players were untouchable. “Or some more touchable than others, however it works."