CLEARWATER, Fla. — A watered-down version of the Yankees bussed from Tampa to Clearwater, then after a quick stop into the visiting clubhouse, everyone headed out to the field for some pre-game prepping.
First baseman Ben Rice was the only regular on the trip. Left fielder Jasson Dominguez and George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, were there, too, as was one of their starting pitchers, Luis Gil.
Also in manager Aaron Boone’s lineup for this Tuesday game against the Phillies was a touted prospect who seems to get as much flake for his strikeouts as he does for being a left-handed slugger who hits a lot of home runs, steals a bunch of bases and plays a very good center field.
As usual, Spencer Jones stood out jogging back and forth with teammates in front of the first-base dugout because the 24-year-old is a baseball giant at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds.
During one of his short runs, Jones looked up into the stands when a middle-school aged boy in a Yankees pinstripes jersey called out his name. Just a few feet away, the boy proudly held up a large handmade sign that read:
My hero. Next Great Yankee. Spencer Jones. Let’s go.
Jones smiled and waved at his young fan.
After Jones took batting practice, the boy got an autograph … and then another great memory.
Jones continued his hot hitting in the second inning by blasting a long home run, a 416-footer to center that made it four for the spring. No one for any team has more.
All of this occurred the morning after the Yankees officially dropped Jones from their spring training roster.
Entering camp, Jones had to know his quest to become a first-time big leaguer by Opening Day 2026 was a long shot. After all, the Yankees’ two biggest offseason moves were re-signing center fielder Trent Grisham and left fielder Cody Bellinger.
Jones had to know he probably needed at least one injury to a Yankees outfielder to make the team, maybe even two with second-year left fielder Jasson Dominguez also a real possibility to start the season in Triple-A after spending all of 2025 in the majors.
So far this spring, the Yankees’ list of healthy outfielders actually has grown by one, counting the late February signing of Randal Grichuk.
Jones handled his demotion with extreme professionalism, but he was disappointed. He hit 35 homers, stole 29 bases and played excellent defense last year for Double-A Somerset and then Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Also, he addressed his very high strikeout rate by changing his batting stance and swing early in the offseason to somewhat mimic Shohei Ohtani’s. Then he worked and worked on it before spring training. And then he tried it out in Grapefruit League play.
It’s working. Counting his 1-for-3 with a walk and strikeout in Tuesday’s 4-2 Yankees win, Jones is hitting .333 with four homers and eight RBIs in 10 games. He’s struck out seven times in 25 plate appearances, but this 28% K rate is a 20% drop from last season’s 35.6, which all were against minor-league pitching.
Jones likes his new Ohtani look.
“I feel very still,” he said. “I feel very stable. It’s just about being on time and swinging at the right pitches.
“I think it’s all been positive. I think there’s still more to come with it and it’s only going to get better and better as we keep moving forward.”
With the regular season starting up in two weeks, the Yankees want more at-bats for veterans who will be on their club, so young talent like Jones is being weeded out. That’s why he’s been optioned.
“You never want to hear it, but it is what it is,” Jones said. “I’ve got a lot of good work to do, and then obviously I’ve got a whole long season ahead of us. Opportunities are available and it’s just about taking advantage of them.”
That’s what Jones was told on Monday after he was called into Aaron Boone’s office to get the demotion news. This means he’ll be reporting to the Yankees’ minor-league camp for the remainder of spring training, unless he’s called back for Grapefruit League cameos like he was on Tuesday.
Jones often has flashed his bat skills in spring games since he first appeared in them in 2023, as he owns a .325 average with eight homers and 20 RBI in 47 games. The difference now, Jones believes, is that he feels ready for the big leagues.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve gotten out of this year is a feeling of I belong and that I can compete,” Jones said.
Feeling the same is a major league scout who was down on Jones last season.
“If you’d stick Jones in the majors for someone this year and let him play 150 games, I think he’d hit only .210 but around 35 homers and 85 RBI,” the scout told NJ.com after watching Tuesday’s game. “He’d also steal some bags and play a good center field.
“A lot of teams would take that from a rookie.”
The Yankees thought Jones would become a star when they drafted him 25th overall in 2022 out of Vanderbilt and they still feel that way. They’ve seen progress at the plate this spring. They know he’ll probably always strike out a lot because all sluggers do nowadays, even Aaron Judge, but Jones’ swing changes are leading to more hard contact with less swing-and-miss.
“It’s spring training, so I don’t want to over or under-react to anything, but I do feel like day in and day out he’s been putting up solid at-bats,” Boone said. “That’s encouraging, especially when you consider the talent he has and the ceiling that he has. He continues to get better.”
No one knows what’s in store for Jones beyond where he starts this season. He could get a first shot with the Yankees at some point this year if someone gets hurt, or perhaps next season if Grisham walks as a free agent. He also could be used as trade bait this summer or next winter.
“I don’t really think about what could be,” Jones said. “It’s more about what do we’ve got right now. Just focus on the day to day and showing up to work and getting the job done.”
The Yankees don’t have to worry about that.
“One of the things I’ve told him is there’s things that are out of your control,” Boone said. “As best you can, you’ve got to focus because there’s still improvements that he needs to make in his game. The good thing is, he’s done that. He’s shown that.”
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