The New York Yankees must make the right decision with Spencer Jones.
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones finally broke through on Tuesday night, smashing his first big-league home run 443 feet out to dead center field during the Yankees' win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Jones went 2-for-4 on the night as a whole and is now slashing .278/.333/.389 over 39 plate appearances with New York's major-league squad thus far in 2026.
Yankees fans had been long awaiting Jones' MLB debut, and now, they are finally getting a taste of it.
While Jones' swing is definitely long and has clear holes (hence his massive strikeout rate), there is no question it's beautiful. We saw that when he connected with a Slade Cecconi cutter and drilled it 112.2 miles per hour off the bat on Tuesday evening.
The 25-year-old has slashed .269/.378/.571 with 13 homers and 48 RBI in Triple-A this season. Clearly, he has conquered minor-league pitching. It's time to see what he can do at The Show for an extended period.
The good news for Jones? Aaron Judge will be sidelined for the next couple of months with a stress fracture in his ribs, so he should get ample opportunities to establish himself as a part of New York's core moving forward.
Operative word: should.
And that's where the bad news comes into play: Jasson Dominguez is nearing a return from an AC joint sprain he suffered last month, which was the primary reason Jones was elevated to the big-league roster to begin with (Jones was then sent back down and recalled again following Judge's injury news).
New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images.Dominguez has been getting some work in right field, indicating that the Yankees may be planning on displacing Jones once Dominguez returns ... which would be a massive mistake by the Bronx Bombers.
At this point, we know what Dominguez as a fielder: he's not a very good one. He has struggled mightily in left field, and while right field in Yankee Stadium is certainly easier to play, it won't matter if Dominguez doesn't have defensive instincts, which he doesn't appear to possess.
Jones, on the other hand, is a 6-foot-7 gazelle with obvious range thanks to his length. He has a cannon for an arm, too, which is perfect for a right fielder. It's also important to keep in mind that center field is Jones' natural position, demonstrating his ability to cover substantial ground.
The Yankees can't even really platoon Jones and Dominguez, either. Yes, Dominguez is a switch hitter, but we know how much he labors against left-handed pitching. A right field duo wouldn't make much sense, and we know that Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham certainly aren't moving in left and center, respectively.
New York could always activate Dominguez and demote Max Schuemann, but the Yanks really seem to like the versatility he brings (even though he is somewhat redundant with Jose Caballero also on the roster). Schuemann has also walked nine times in 29 plate appearances, so that's something.
It's scary to think that the Yankees could completely stunt or stall Jones' development by replacing him with Dominguez, who has shown some promise as a hitter and a baserunner, but clearly does not have a knack for playing defense.
The trade deadline is now less than two months away, and you kind of get the feeling that New York will end up dangling one of its two young outfielders in trade discussions. It seems hard to envision both players staying in the Bronx long term.
Provided that Jones continues to demonstrate his tantalizing potential as a slugger, you just hope that he doesn't end up being the odd man out.
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