Aaron Boone has bad news for the New York Yankees' top prospect
Spencer Jones is the highest rated outfield prospect who's currently healthy in the Yankees system. Unfortunately for the towering centerfielder, he's not headed to the majors in the wake of Giancarlo Stanton's latest injury.
Manager Aaron Boone was asked whether or not the organization considered calling Jones up to the major this week but immediately made it clear that was not an option for New York. He didn't rule out the possibility of bringing Jones up later in the season, but Oswald Peraza is the prospect who will get the first opportunity to fill Stanton's spot on the roster.
As expected, Boone said there wasn't any consideration to bringing up Spencer Jones w/ Giancarlo Stanton on the IL. "No, not yet," he said. #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 23, 2024
That decision might disappoint Jones, but it's hardly a surprise given his struggles in AA on the year. The former first-round pick is only slugging at a .377 clip in Somerset. He has plenty of time to turn his fortunes around this season but he is not ready to handle major league pitching at this point in his young career.
Why didn't the Yankees call up Spencer Jones?
Jones' focus should be on improving his performance in time to compete for a September call-up. Things might change for his short-term outlook if Stanton faces a long-term injury, but for now the Yankees will be content to stick with Trent Grisham and Jahmai Jones as their reserve outfielders.
Peraza is the big winner given Stanton's injury but his minor-league performance has been even worse than Jones. The Yankees hope his batting will improve with the improved focus that comes along with a return to the Bronx. The next few weeks could easily be a make-or-break for the versatile infielder's long-term future with the Yankees.
It's too early for Jones to panic about his place in the pecking order of the Yankees' prospects but it's not a positive sign that he wasn't strongly considered to take Stanton's place on the big-league roster. Jasson Dominguez's return to health will likely push Jones even further down the organization's outfield depth chart. Jones has a lot of work to do to cement his place in the Bronx.
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