The New York Yankees could very well make a regrettable decision with Spencer Jones.
It's looking more and more like Aaron Judge is guaranteed to return for the New York Yankees this month, which is obviously fantastic for the team. The Yankees have no chance of making a deep playoff run without Judge, so his return means everything.
The only sticking point is the problem it will create for the roster.
New York will have to remove someone from the team in order to get Judge back into the fold, and while the natural inclination is to believe Amed Rosario will get the boot, Yankees announcer Michael Kay seems to believe it will be Spencer Jones.
And that would just be terrible.
"Jones has options. And I think Jones has played himself into a position where he should be on the team," Kay said on his show. "He has exceeded what I thought that he would do after I saw him the first time he was called up. This third time that he’s been called up, different player. Still strikes out, but that’s part of the game. That’s all part of the contract with him. But he’s gotten big hits. He’s hit left-handers very well. He has nine home runs. He runs the bases well."
Kay added that Jones has defensive deficiencies and that he feels the only logical play would be to demote the 25-year-old.
"And I think he has trouble going back on balls in the outfield. So he’s not as great an outfielder as people want to make him out to be. ... I think the only thing that they could do is to send Jones down, which I kind of think is unfair because he’s done everything that they would want him to do and more," Kay concluded.
Jones is slashing .239/.314/.441 with nine home runs and 28 RBI over 210 plate appearances this season. He has also stolen nine bases, and over the last two weeks, he is batting .289 with a .928 OPS. Over the last four weeks, he is slashing .275/.344/513.
The former top prospect has been very impressive over the last month, and it would be a real shame if the Yankees did send him down.
At this point, he probably provides more value than Trent Grisham, who is starting in center field and owns a .702 OPS. Grisham has also been subpar defensively.
New York could make this simple and just cut Rosario, but Rosario is very well-liked in the clubhouse, and the Yanks seem to like having his veteran bat off the bench ... even if his ability to mash lefties has evaporated.
The Yankees absolutely should keep Jones on the team. His power is undeniable, and he can completely change the complexion of a game with one swing of the bat.
But New York has long been stubbornly loyal to its vets, so it would not be surprising if the Vanderbilt product does, in fact, become the odd man out.
