New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones has received some bad news.
New York Yankees prospect Spencer Jones is one of the most unique players in all of baseball. He stands 6-foot-7, weighs 240 pounds, possesses prodigious power and also incredible athleticism.
Jones has long been viewed as a five-tool talent who could be the Yankees' center fielder of the future, and New York has essentially barred his name from trade discussions as a result.
But perhaps the rest of the league does not value Jones quite as highly as the Yankees?
That was made very clear in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list for 2026, as Jones — who was ranked 99th last year — was nowhere to be seen.
It marks the second straight year that Jones has descended in the rankings, as he was at No. 84 back in 2024.
On the bright side, Yankees shortstop Dax Kilby has now entered the picture, coming in at No. 97, but Jones' continuous fall is definitely a bit concerning.
Why? Well, because Jones is already 24 years old and turns 25 in May. He has yet to hit the big leagues in spite of flashing tremendous power in the minor leagues largely because his strikeout problem doesn't seem to be going away.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.Jones fanned 179 times over 506 plate appearances in 2025. That was good for a strikeout rate of 35.4 percent, and while it was slightly better than his 36.8 percent rate the season prior, it's still not enough progress for the outfielder to reach the majors.
To make matters worse, Jones' future in the Bronx was just clouded even more by the return of Cody Bellinger, who re-signed with the Yanks on a five-year contract. Trent Grisham also re-upped on a qualifying offer.
Not only is the Yankees' three-man outfield already set with Bellinger, Grisham and Aaron Judge, but 22-year-old Jasson Dominguez is also well ahead of Jones in the pecking order.
At this point, you do have to wonder if Jones is going to be traded sooner rather than later. His stock is clearly dropping, so if New York isn't going to play him, it may have to move him before it's too late.
Because Jones smashed 35 home runs while stealing 29 bases and managing a .932 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A last season, there will certainly be teams interested in the Vanderbilt product, but he may not be perceived as the franchise cornerstone many had originally anticipated.