How Spencer Jones can fit into the Yankees’ short and long-term plans

When Spencer Jones returned to Triple-A after his first big league cup of coffee in mid-May, he knew what he needed to work on most. It wasn’t his swing and approach, nor his defense and baserunning. Sure, those things are always a work in progress for any ballplayer, but Jones had a broader priority in mind. He needed to “slow things down,” he said Wednesday. “The first time around, you try so hard to do a lot of things, and for me, I’m a chill bird,” Jones said. “I just need to relax it and allow myself to do as I do, and not try and force anything.” That comment sparked a few funny messages from his friends and family. Jones’ uncle, for example, texted him an AI image of a bird unwinding at the beach on Thursday morning. But it also spoke to how much more comfortable Jones has looked, especially at the plate, since his second promotion on June 5. The 25-year-old, recalled twice since then, is only hitting .230 over that span, but he’s held his own with a .785 OPS, six doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and four stolen bases. “He’s always super composed,” Yankees slugger Ben Rice said, “but I feel like that’s really evident right now.” On Wednesday, Jones, hitting third for just the second time in his career, went 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and one strikeout in the Yankees’ 10-5 win over the Mariners. The left-handed hitter’s first two-bagger went the other way and concluded an eight-pitch at-bat in the third inning, while his second tied the game at five in the fifth frame. The performance gave Jones a .318 average and a 1.035 OPS with runners in scoring position and left Aaron Boone raving about the rookie’s “adjustability” over the last few months. “He’s really benefited from the experience,” the manager said Thursday. “He’s shown an aptitude, and that’s from that experience. He’s taken in what goes on every day, and I feel like he applies it to his gameplan.” On Wednesday, Boone added that Jones has “shown some adaptability at this level, which has been good.” The question now is how will Jones fit in at the major league level, especially in the short-term? With Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge all expected back from injuries before the season ends, a crunch could be coming, even with rosters expanding by two players — there can only be a maximum of 14 pitchers — on Sept. 1. Jones, who has minor league options, could be sent down when Bellinger, expected back first among the aforementioned injured trio, is activated. That’s not something he’s worrying about right now, though. “You can’t be thinking about what’s ahead while also trying to play in the games today,” Jones said. “So no, I haven’t really thought much about it. We’ll see what happens, but my job is to do my job every day.” Even if Jones is demoted again, it may not be for long. As a solid defender with speed and power, he could play a part off the bench in the postseason, when teams don’t carry full pitching staffs. As for the future, Trent Grisham’s impending return to free agency could create an opening for Jones in the middle of the Yankees’ outfield. While hot at the plate over the last few days, Grisham hasn’t been able to replicate his breakout production from a season ago and has continued to regress in center field. The two-time Gold Glover entered Thursday with -7 Defensive Runs Saved and -4 Outs Above Average this season after letting a routine flyball drop on Wednesday. Grisham, 29, is also the slowest center fielder in baseball and would be better off in the corners moving forward, whether that be in the Bronx or elsewhere. If nothing else, Jones is the more athletic option, and he would be a cost-controlled one at that. For now, however, he’s focused on consistency. Offensively, Jones said he’s now prioritizing not putting himself in bad counts, attacking pitches that are in the strike zone, and capitalizing when pitchers make mistakes. He feels he’s made strides with the swing-and-miss tendencies and in-zone contact issues that he got dinged for as a prospect, thanks in part to an exaggerated toe tap that mimics that of Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. It was a change that Jones made over the offseason after numerous conversations and training sessions with Yankees hitting coaches, including the club’s director of hitting, Jarret DeHart; his own personal hitting coaches in Nashville, Will Haynie and Justin Wilson; and Aaron Judge’s personal hitting coach, Richard Schenck. Jones said that DeHart helped him “form the basis” of his toe tap, which is meant to keep his weight on his backside longer and help him with his timing. “It comes down to whether or not I’m in the right spot to swing,” Jones explained. “Because in my mind, I make great decisions and I see pitches well. It’s just whether or not the body’s in-sync to be there on time. So the in-zone stuff, I know that there’s going to be swing-and-miss because I’m a big dude, and that’s just part of it. But at the same time, I’ve got high standards for myself to hit stuff in the zone.” With that in mind and his near-term roster status in question, Jones knows there is still progress to be made. He’s proud of the fact that he’s held his own in the majors, but he’s far from a finished product. He knows that. “There’s a lot more in the tank,” Jones insisted. “I got a lot more to prove.”