Spencer Jones Got Called Up to Replace Aaron Judge. The Yankees Are Betting on a 6-7 Slugger.
The Yankees are 6-foot-7 inches taller in the outfield this week. They had no choice.
New York recalled outfielder Spencer Jones from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Aaron Judge’s spot on the active roster after the captain was placed on the injured list with a rib stress fracture. Jones, 25, becomes one of the most pressure-filled prospect call-ups in recent Yankees history.
The 6-foot-7 left-handed power hitter was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2022 out of Vanderbilt and has been the team’s No. 5 ranked prospect for most of his minor league career. He was previously called up earlier this season and struggled badly, batting .167 with 12 strikeouts and a .426 OPS in 10 games before getting optioned back down on May 22.
This is a different situation. Last time, Jones was getting occasional starts and trying to find his footing as a fourth or fifth outfielder. This time, he is replacing the best hitter in baseball and the Yankees need him to actually produce. The expectations could not be more different. The opportunity could not be more obvious.
Aaron Boone gave Jones the start in right field on Sunday in his first game back, and the early returns were mixed. Jones went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. The strikeouts have always been the question with Jones. He has elite power, elite raw tools, and a contact rate that would scare any major league hitting coach.
The minor league track record is what got him here. Jones has 18 home runs in 45 games at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, with a .272 batting average and an .898 OPS. The power is real. The plate discipline has improved year over year. The defensive ability in the outfield grades out as average to slightly above average at the corners.
The comparisons to Aaron Judge are unavoidable. Both are extreme right-handed (Jones is left-handed, actually) hitters from Vanderbilt. Both have the kind of physical frame that scouts dream about. Both have the swing-and-miss issues that come with that frame.
Wait, Jones is left-handed. Judge is right-handed. The two are not the same player at all. But the body type and the power profile and the Yankees’ obvious hope that Jones can be even 70 percent of what Judge has been for a few weeks is unmistakable.
Boone has options for how to use Jones over the next 4-6 weeks. Jones could platoon with veteran outfielder Trent Grisham in right field, which would give him favorable matchups against right-handed pitchers and a chance to build confidence. Or Boone could just give him the starting job and let him figure it out at the major league level, accepting some early struggles in exchange for the upside.
The other option in right is utility infielder Jose Caballero, who started two of the three games against Cleveland after Judge first went down. Max Schuemann got the start in Thursday’s finale. Neither of those guys is a long-term answer. Jones is the only realistic path to a competent everyday outfield while Judge heals.
The Yankees lineup looks very different without Judge. Anthony Volpe has moved to the middle of the order. Giancarlo Stanton is back to being the primary cleanup threat. Cody Bellinger and Juan Soto remain steady but cannot carry the entire offense by themselves. The bottom third of the lineup, which was already weak, is now a real liability.
The Yankees front office is going to be aggressive at the trade deadline. They have to be. Brian Cashman has built deep enough teams in the past to survive Aaron Judge injuries, but this one comes at the wrong time of year and against the wrong division opponents. The Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox just got an unexpected gift.
For Jones personally, this is the opportunity of his career. If he hits, he stays in the major leagues for the rest of the season and possibly forever. If he struggles, he goes back to Triple-A and the prospect-fatigue conversation starts to pick up around him.
The 6-foot-7 frame is going to be hard to miss in pinstripes. The bat is going to have to do the rest.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
