New York Yankees make concerning decision with top prospect

New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones is widely viewed as one of the most intriguing prospects in all of baseball, and heading into last year, he was ranked the 33rd-best prospect in the majors by Baseball Prospectus.

However, thanks to a rather rough 2024 campaign, Jones’ stock has dipped, and he is no longer even considered a top-100 prospect. That doesn’t necessarily mean he is a bust, but there is some concern surrounding his plate discipline.

After all, Jones struck out a hefty 200 times across 544 plate appearances at Double-A Somerset last season, slashing a disappointing .259/.336/.452 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI.

Apparently, the Yankees don’t feel all too confident in Jones’ ability to consistently handle Triple-A pitching just yet, as they have started him at Double-A again this year, via Gary Phillips of The New York Daily News.

At 6-foot-7, 235 pounds, Jones is every bit as physically imposing as Aaron Judge and has Yankees fans dreaming of an outfield triumvirate that also includes Jasson Dominguez.

However, the Bronx faithful will obviously have to wait for Jones, who has yet to register a single Triple-A at-bat since entering New York’s system three years ago.

The Vanderbilt product was selected by the Yanks with the 25th overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft and owns a lifetime .270/.344/.456 slashline over 1,185 trips to the dish.

Right now, the Yankees’ outfield is being handled by Judge, Dominguez and Cody Bellinger, with Trent Grisham serving as the fourth option, so they certainly don’t need Jones right now.

That being said, Jones does figure to be a part of New York’s outfield in the near future and could ultimately be called up at some point in 2025. Before that happens, though, Jones will need to conquer his strikeout demons at Double-A, which could be the determining factor in his career trajectory.