Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones getting closer to debut after Triple-A promotion
Spencer Jones is now just one step away from the majors.
The Yankees' top prospect is being promoted to Triple-A after hitting 16 homers and posting a .984 OPS with Double-A Somerset, according to reports.
The 2022 first-round pick is the team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB.com.
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Spencer Jones during spring training.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
While there have been questions about his contact ability, he slashed .274/.389/.594 in 49 games this season. He struck out 70 times in 208 plate appearances.
The towering 6-foot-7 slugger mashed a walk-off homer for Somerset on Thursday night to follow up winning Eastern League Player of the Week honors last week for his outrageous stat lines of 10-for-21 (.476/.607/.952) with 8 RBI, 6 R, 4 XBH (1 2B, 3 HR), 7 BB and a 1.559 OPS over six games.
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Spencer Jones is the team's No. 2 prospect.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
This promotion now makes him eligible for a potential call-up should the Yankees need to make a move, although they already have have four outfielders for just three starting spots in Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez.
More to come on this developing story
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You want to know the greatest right-handed hitters in the last 50 years, do yourself a favor and look at the numbers produced by Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, particularly in the first 10 years of their career. Advertisement 'People bring up stuff to me about stats, and seasons, and stuff," says Judge, 'and I say, 'This doesn't even compare in my mind what I saw Pujols doing at Busch Stadium... He's hitting over .300 every year, he's driving in over 100, he's hitting 30-plus homers, and all of those clutch at-bats. 'Those are my favorite guys that I love going back to on YouTube and bringing up the highlights. It was just cool to see a professional hitter like that who can manipulate the bat. They had the knowledge in the box of what they're trying to do, have great approach, and just make the game look so easy." Judge laughs, knowing that, of course, is what everyone is saying about him. There will be a spot for him reserved in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium one day. His number, 99, will be permanently retired. And when Judge walks away, just like Joe DiMaggio and Derek Jeter, he can tell the world how proud he was to be a Yankee his entire career. 'Sometimes it's tough to put into words," Judge says, 'but I never played anywhere else. I never wanted to go anywhere else. This is where I feel I belong." Aaron Judge leads MLB in most statistical categories through two months of the 2025 season. The contract It wasn't long ago when Judge didn't know if he'd still be a Yankee. He rejected the Yankees' final offer of $213.5 million before the 2022 season, and they still were playing hardball after Judge hit an American League record 62 homers after the season. It took a $360 million offer from the San Francisco Giants and the concept of at least a 10-year, $400 million offer from the San Diego Padres for the Yankees to relent and sign him to a nine-year, $360 million deal. 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He was entitled to test free agency, and we were going to do whatever it took to keep him here. 'This is a very tough place to play. It's not for everybody. So, you've got to really want to be here. And he really wanted to be here." Says Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who concedes he panicked momentarily at the 2022 winter meetings when the Giants looked as if they were closing in on a deal to sign Judge: 'It's so good when your best player is your best people too, and that's what Aaron is. Guys gravitate towards him. Guys look up to him. Guys respect him." The Captain Who else organizes team dinners on the road, renting out entire restaurants where he foots the entire bill? Advertisement 'He's an amazing human being," says Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who spent two years with the Yankees. 'I think the coolest thing about him is that any time you're around him, he makes you feel like you're on his level, like you're the same type of player. 'He brings confidence, swagger to you as a player. As a person, he's always there for you. And on top of all that, he's the best player in the world. I can't imagine how he does it all, how he juggles it all, and still perform at the level he does because he's the most selfless guy I played with." When new Yankees reliever Devin Williams struggled early in the year, it was Judge who was there at his locker every day making sure he was hanging in. When center fielder Cody Bellinger had difficulty adjusting to New York at the start of the season – like outfielder Trent Grisham the year before – Judge was there for them too. 'Everybody just sees what he does on the field, and it's like, 'Man, he's the best player,'" Grisham says. 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He's a big reason why you want to play here." Aaron Judge connects on a home run at Dodger Stadium. Judge's legacy It's not enough for Judge to be the heart, soul and face of the Yankees, but he's a role model for free agents in their 30s. His nine-year, $360 million contract – the richest free agent deal in baseball history at the time – looks like the biggest steal in baseball just a few years later. Advertisement Juan Soto is guaranteed more than twice as much money with his $765 million deal with the Mets. Anthony Rendon, who has missed 613 games in five years with the Los Angeles Angels, is earning only $2 million less than Judge this season. Stephen Strasburg, who last pitched in 2022, is still earning $35 million – only $5 million less than Judge. Judge may be 33, but considering he's getting better each and every year, he sees no reason why he can't be just as productive until he's turning grey. He works out religiously, hired a year-round chef, and maintains his body to withstand the grind of a 162-game regular season, and hopefully, all of the way through October, too. 'Tom Brady is a great example," Judge says. 'Every year he tried to get a little bit better. He was still winning Super Bowls in his 40s, and doing some special things. It's all about staying on the field. 'I never wanted to be a guy that was a liability. The contract that I signed, I wanted to be a guy that helps this team win all the way until the last year. ... I'll try to make adjustments and put myself up there as one of the better players that helps this team win." Advertisement Well, maybe more accurately, he could be one of the greatest players, role models, and competitors who ever put on a uniform. 'He's a great face for the pinstripes," Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson said before the Yankees-Dodgers series finale. "He's a great face for Major League Baseball. New York City. Everything." Says Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas: 'When that thing happened to him in the World Series, we were all celebrating that we were able to score runs. But afterwards, I think we all felt for him, too. You wish it had happened to someone else. 'I'm a big fan of him because he plays the game the right way. He respects not only the game itself, but he respects the people all around the game. The way he dresses, the way he approaches people, it's just different. Advertisement 'The game of baseball is in a better place because of him." Judge smiles when hearing the praise, picks up his bag, and heads to the Yankees' team bus for a red-eye flight back to New York. A day off with the family awaits. And then the commotion will start up all over again. 'I wouldn't trade it for the world," Judge says. 'I'm a Yankee." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees' Aaron Judge has historic stats but is MLB's most humble star
