{"id":114946,"date":"2026-02-28T23:19:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T04:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=114946"},"modified":"2026-03-01T01:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T06:16:20","slug":"boone-not-ruling-out-early-spencer-jones-debut-yankees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/28\/boone-not-ruling-out-early-spencer-jones-debut-yankees\/","title":{"rendered":"Boone Won&#8217;t Rule Out Slugging Outfield Prospect Making Yankees Roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a Saturday interview with MLB Network, New York Yankees manager <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/booneaa01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Boone<\/a> praised outfielders <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dominja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jasson Dom\u00ednguez<\/a> and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=jones-003spe,jones-001spe&amp;search=Spencer+Jones&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spencer Jones<\/a>. Dom\u00ednguez, who has big-league experience but has been hampered by injuries, is looking to take the next step in 2026. Jones, a 6&#8242; 7&#8243;, 24-year-old outfielder often referred to in Yankees Universe as the &#8220;Lefty <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/judgeaa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Judge<\/a>,&#8221; has been the talk of the Yankees&#8217; farm system for some time now.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about each player&#8217;s chances of making the Opening Day roster, Boone said, &#8220;We all think very highly of both those guys,&#8221; and added, &#8220;a lot can happen between now and March 25th.&#8221; While Dom\u00ednguez is more likely to make the team out of spring training, could we possibly see Spencer Jones debut with the Yankees early this season? He&#8217;s certainly making his case with a strong spring thus far.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_95145\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-95145\" style=\"width: 713px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"713\" height=\"475\" class=\" wp-image-95145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/02\/USATSI_22693506_168400885_lowres.jpg 1986w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-95145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mar 4, 2024; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) hits a single against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Spencer Jones Could Make His Yankees Debut Early Thanks to Strong Early Spring<\/h2>\n<p>While MLB.com&#8217;s latest <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/12\/27\/five-yankees-prospects-majors-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">prospect<\/a> rankings are not out just yet, Jones ranked as the Yankees&#8217; No. 4 prospect following the 2025 trade deadline. He was only behind infielder <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=lombar002geo&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">George Lombard Jr.<\/a> (No. 1), right-hander <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=lagran000car&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carlos Lagrange<\/a> (No. 2), and right-hander <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/schlica01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Schlittler<\/a> (No. 3), who eventually <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/10\/04\/three-yankees-x-factors-2025-wild-card\/\" target=\"_self\">debuted<\/a> in MLB last season to great effect.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Yankees manager <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/booneaa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aaron Boone<\/a> on <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dominja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jasson Dominguez<\/a> and Spencer Jones with the team&#8217;s crowded outfield:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all think very highly of both of those guys&#8230; a lot can happen between now and March 25th.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>MLB Network + <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SageUSAmerica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SageUSAmerica<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uJ5aL0laFF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/uJ5aL0laFF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBNetwork\/status\/2027817326481981570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The hulking outfielder is red hot at the plate early this spring, slugging three home runs. The latest was a 427-foot blast off the center field batter&#8217;s eye against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. He is hitting .375 (3-for-8, all homers) with five RBI and five runs scored through four spring games.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;That is Spencer Jones. All 6-7 of him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Yankees?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Yankees<\/a> prospect drills his third spring homer off the batter&#8217;s eye to tie for the MLB lead:<br \/>\n427 ft<br \/>\n107.5 mph <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wSQsvNIxSc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/wSQsvNIxSc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBPipeline\/status\/2027472121463464032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although it&#8217;s a small sample size, Jones is showing that he&#8217;s getting closer to being major league-ready. If he keeps it up, the Yankees may have no choice but to give him a trial run on the early side this season, perhaps even rewarding him with a spot on the final roster. There&#8217;s just one problem: the Yankees outfield already has a traffic jam. After New York <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/21\/cody-bellinger-re-signs-with-the-yankees\/\" target=\"_self\">re-signed<\/a> <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bellico01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cody Bellinger<\/a> this offseason and retained <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grishtr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-02-28_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trent Grisham<\/a> via a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/11\/18\/trent-grisham-accepts-yankees-qualifying-offer\/\" target=\"_self\">qualifying offer<\/a>, the projected outfield consists of the former in center field, the latter in left field, and Judge in right field. That&#8217;s not to mention Dom\u00ednguez, who is already starving for more playing time after injuries and prior outfield crowding kept him largely sidelined to this point.<\/p>\n<h3>How Soon Will We See Jones?<\/h3>\n<p>Although Boone kept his cards somewhat close to the chest on Saturday, it stands to reason that there simply won&#8217;t be room to carry Jones on the Yankees roster for Opening Day. If Dom\u00ednguez, who made his MLB debut in 2022, is not a sure thing, then it&#8217;s hard to see Jones having much of a shot, given the Yankees&#8217; current outfield alignment.<\/p>\n<p>The odds are that Jones will open the season at Triple-A Scranton\/Wilkes-Barre, no matter how much he continues to hit this spring. However, his performance could earn him a call-up sooner rather than later, especially given the Yankees&#8217; recent history of injuries. If someone gets hurt or hits an early-season slump, Jones could be on the bus to New York earlier than expected. If not, it would be a shock not to see him on the roster by September, at the very least. Either way, it will be exciting to see what Spencer Jones can do in a Yankees uniform once he plays in the games that really matter.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a Saturday interview with MLB Network, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised outfielders Jasson Dom\u00ednguez and Spencer Jones. Dom\u00ednguez, who has big-league experience but has been hampered by injuries, is looking to take the next step in 2026. Jones, a 6&#8242; 7&#8243;, 24-year-old outfielder often referred to in Yankees Universe as the &#8220;Lefty [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3931,"featured_media":111252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,926,1071,35],"tags":[1787,29128,29119,6482,2970,1308,2599],"class_list":["post-114946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yankees","category-milb","category-mlb","category-news","tag-aaron-boone","tag-cam-schlittler","tag-carlos-lagrange","tag-george-lombard-jr","tag-jasson-dominguez","tag-mlb-prospects","tag-spencer-jones"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3931"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114946"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114950,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114946\/revisions\/114950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}