BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Spencer Jones hasn’t been as impressive in his Double-A season opener as he was in spring training with the Yankees this year.
Jones, the Yankees’ first-round draft pick (25th overall) in 2022 out of Vanderbilt University, won the James P. Dawson Award as the camp’s best rookie.
But it’s been a struggle from the start in Somerset, where Yankees ace Gerrit Cole began a rehab assignment with the Patriots on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old Jones, the Yankees’ second-best prospect this season according to Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, was 1-for-5 on Tuesday but is batting .227 with a .658 OPS and three homers in 41 games.
“Things haven’t gone the way I expected them to so far, but I think that’s part of the situation,” Jones said before the game. “It’s one of those things where I’ve got to learn how to get myself out of it.”
“I’ve definitely made progress mentally, game planning, those kinds of things, but I feel like I was anticipating things to happen instead of making them happen.”
The left-handed outfielder was encouraged by a strong performance over the weekend against Bowie, going 6-for-12 with one home run and six RBIs in three games.
He turned heads with a .444/.565/.722 batting average (8-for-18) with one home run and four walks in 12 spring games, including two home runs in his first MLB spring breakout game.
“We know he’s going to start hitting. We’ve got the talent and we know what he can do,” Somerset manager Raul Dominguez said, adding that promising outfielder Jasson Dominguez also struggled initially at Double-A last year. “The same thing is happening with Spencer.”
“I saw Dominguez in spring training and I can’t wait to remember one series. It worked and he started hitting. I think that’s going to happen soon with Spencer because his attitude that he has to work hard in the cage and on defense. I can’t wait to see him become the Spencer Jones that everybody wants to see.”
Dominguez, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, was promoted to Triple-A Scranton on Tuesday following a 10-game injury rehab assignment with Somerset.
“Dominguez is one of my favorites,” Jones said. “He’s just great to be around. Everybody loves him. He’s just a guy that brings good energy every day. I felt that in camp and especially here. He’s very professional in the way he works. We’ve spent time together in the outfield and I love having him around.”
With Dominguez believed to be one step closer to joining All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge and soon-to-be free agent Juan Soto in the Bronx, Jones said it’s too early to speculate on what the outfield will look like once Dominguez is fit again.
“I haven’t really thought about it too much,” Jones said. “As a baseball fan, it’ll be fun to see what happens with Juan Soto. Obviously it’s great that the Yankees are doing well. Not just great for Yankees fans, but great for baseball fans.”
“I don’t think too far ahead on that one. A lot of it is out of my control.”
