Yankees Top Prospect Gives Glimpse Into the Future

It didn't take long for the floodgates to open in the lopsided exhibition between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. The downpour of runs began when veteran Paul Goldschmidt drove in two against Keider Montero. The highlight of that inning, though, came when Spencer Jones hit an absolute blast to right field that left the stadium.

Jones, who hopes to set himself apart from Jasson Dominguez and eventually make his MLB debut in 2026, made light work of Montero in his spring debut. Montero left a 94.8 MPH fastball down the heart of the plate on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Jones, doing what he does best, crushed it.

.@Yankees prospect Spencer Jones SMOKES his first #SpringTraining home run! pic.twitter.com/qMrKlV6aUW
— MLB (@MLB) February 21, 2026

The day was Jones-esque, though. It came with the same boom-and-bust potential that has followed him throughout his climb in the organization, because with the blast also came the strikeouts. Jones struck out on a changeup in the third inning. He then struck out on a slider way off the heart of the plate. That one was practically in the dirt.

Impressing the Right Person

The strikeouts aside, one person who was impressed by Jones was the captain, Aaron Judge. Judge had some theatrics of his own, homering twice yesterday in the Detroit drubbing.

"The minute he puts that foot down with that little toe-tap, he's ready to hit," Judge said of Jones' mechanics, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "They might have gotten him with a lot of high heaters in the past, or even last season. I think that's just going to help him.

"He doesn't have a big leg kick, and doesn't have to worry about trying to get that down," Judge continued. "I liked the results I saw in that first at-bat. That quickness, that readiness, it's really going to be a game-changer for him."

How Jones Can Make the Team

An impressive spring once opened the door for Anthony Volpe to take a shortstop job that everybody thought would go to Oswald Peraza. While there aren't any openings on the roster, especially in the outfield, anything can happen between now and Opening Day. An impressive spring can make all the difference for a young player.

Jones, like Dominguez, needs to keep impressing, and even if neither makes the Opening Day roster, both have a real shot to be the first up in case of injury. When Giancarlo Stanton has his regularly scheduled IL stint that the team has become accustomed to since his acquisition, whoever impresses this spring and thereafter is likely to get the initial call.

In many ways, Dominguez is in a similar position to where Peraza was the year Volpe made the team. Having a few more years of major league experience hasn't shown that it means anything in this current era of the Yankees.

Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez (24) and first baseman Ben Rice (22) before game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Of course, if results are going to be the difference, Dominguez still had a good day, even if he didn't make any highlight reels or get Shohei Ohtani comparisons on the main MLB feeds on social media. The young switch-hitter had a hit and a walk Saturday afternoon. He was driven home both times as well.

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