The New York Yankees have been taken to task for this major Spencer Jones mistake.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones has been very impressive in Spring Training this year, having already clubbed three home runs while exhibiting solid plate discipline.
Already 24 years old and going on 25 in May, you would think that Jones — who has never played in the majors before — would finally get his first big-league opportunity this season, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
The Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger on a five-year contract and also brought Trent Grisham back on a qualifying offer, giving them the same starting outfield as last year.
Additionally, New York recently signed Randal Grichuk to compete for the fourth outfielder role, and he seems to be the favorite to win the job.
None of this is sitting well with Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media, who feels that the Yankees are wasting Jones' talent.
"The Yankees are ready to waste another year of his development instead of giving him a chance to face major league pitching, which is what he needs," Wilson wrote. "He doesn’t need more time seeing Triple-A stuff. He needs to be in the Bronx, learning on the fly, adjusting to big league velocity and spin. Every team that develops young hitters understands this. Somehow, the Yankees still don’t."
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images.Well, here's where I disagree: Jones needs to be getting regular reps. He wouldn't be receiving that as bench player, so I understand New York's seemingly inevitable decision to send him down to the minor leagues before the regular season begins.
What I don't understand, however, is why the Yanks even tendered a qualifying offer to Grisham to begin with, which I already discussed in a previous piece.
Yes, Grisham bashed 34 home runs in 2025, but he batted under .200 the preceding three campaigns, and his defense has fallen off a cliff.
Jones, meanwhile, is a terrific defensive player and is also blessed with tremendous speed on the basepaths, which is beyond awe-inspiring for a player who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 240 pounds.
However, because Grisham has the starting center field job on lock, we won't get to see Jones at the start of 2026.
It's entirely possible — if not likely — that Jones makes his major-league debut at some point during the first half of this year, and if Grisham struggles, perhaps Jones could supplant him in the everyday lineup.
But until then, Jones will still be honing his skills in the minors.
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