Yankees Predicted To Leave Top Prospect Home On Sept. 1 And Go Practical

Yankees fans are going to have to wait to see Spencer Jones wearing pinstripes in the Bronx. As New York Post beat writer Greg Joyce wrote this week, on Sept. 1, when MLB rosters expand by a position player and a pitcher, the Yankees' top prospect is most likely going to still be in Triple-A.

Joyce makes the logical prediction that it will be left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough, returning from the injured list after having an oblique strain,  and a third catcher, most logically J.C. Escarra. 

That will disappoint many Yankees fans, but it's the right move for Jones.

The 24-year-old has teased Yankees fans for two years now in spring training and with viral videos of his power. Overall, the 6-foot-6 outfielder is mashing in Scranton, slashing .279/.368/.965 with 32 homers and 25 steals. 

But Yankees fans are most likely going to have to wait to see him in the Bronx next year.

The fact he’s not on the 40-man roster is the easy answer to why the Yankees won’t give him the roster spot. More importantly, however,  the swing-and-misses that concern scouts and even some in the Yankees organization hasn’t vanished. 

After going nuclear on the baseball in July, Jones cratered in August.

He’s hitting .154/.250/.215 with 25 strikeouts in 17 games. That’s the sort of volatility you don’t throw into a playoff chaseand you certainly don’t do it with a prospect used to playing every day without a clear path to at-bats.

Yes, the Yankees have to add him to the 40-man roster this winter, but they will give him time in 2026 to get there.

Yarbrough is the practical upgrade.

He had a 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP in 16 games, including eight starts over 55.1 innings pitched, before hitting the injured list. They’ll return as a bullpen long lefty once rosters expand. That was the original role they planned for him when they signed him this spring, and it gives them a way to save arms down the stretch. 

Escarra is the less obvious move.

He’s been on the shuttle, but a third catcher lets you pinch-hit or pinch-run for a catcher without flinching. His MLB line sits at .202/.629 OPS across 84 AB, and he’s option-eligible and ready. 

So, yes, Jones may be the Yankees' future, but come September 1, they are focused on this year’s playoffs. 

The smart prediction is that Yarbrough and Escarra are added, and  Jones stays at Triple-A.