Spencer Jones Could Force Yankees Hand With Tough Decision Upon Cody Bellinger's Return

When Cody Bellinger returns, the Yankees will likely have to decide between keeping Jones and Amed Rosario.

New York Yankees rookie outfielder Spencer Jones' element of power gives the team something they desperately need until Cody Bellinger returns. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cody Bellinger has already started his rehab assignment, going 1-for-3 and scorching a fly ball to right field that looked like it was going out on Thursday night. The New York Yankees desperately need lineup depth, and their all-star outfielder would provide just that.

The issue with Bellinger's return is that somebody has to go down. The most logical conclusion is that Spencer Jones is the one the Yankees send to Triple-A, but even though his numbers aren't totally impressive, he has at least held his own and adds an element of power to a lineup that has gone without it since Aaron Judge went down.

Instead of sending down Jones, one option could be to designate Amed Rosario for assignment. Rosario provided an early boost this season, and he deserves all the credit in the world for that, but it has been a bit since the Yankees have seen the best version of Rosario. At this point in the season, he is hitting .226/.269/.425 this season with a 90 wRC+. On top of that, he has a paltry glove.

New York Yankees pinch hitter Amed Rosario needs to pick up at the plate because he could be out of a job when Cody Bellinger returns. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rosario's main job was to hit lefties, but he hasn't done that well, either. Against them, he's slashing .193/.240/.370 with a 67 wRC+. Rosario is actually hitting righties better. He is hitting .284/.319/.522 with a 133 wRC+.

Hitting right-handed pitchers is fine, but unless the team is decimated by more injuries, Boone won't deploy Rosario against righty arms. And there's a chance that even if he does, that stabilizes a bit and he regresses toward the mean, which leads us back to Jones.

Spencer Jones' contributions to the Yankees

Even though Jones hasn't been perfect at the plate, he's at least technically league average. He is slashing .227/.305/.407 with a 100 wRC+ in 167 plate appearances. He has recorded six homers, 19 RBI, and seven stolen bases.

Jones has actually been better of late, too. It's a small sample size of 42 plate appearances, but since his two-hit game against the Atlanta Braves — which saw their top outfield prospect mashing a triple vs. Chris Sale — Jones is slashing .289/.357/500 with a 141 wRC+.

Spencer Jones today:

RBI single
RBI triple
Fly out
Walk

Produced all 3 runs vs lefty Chris Sale. pic.twitter.com/C9iFjSqb74

— YankeesMuse (@YankeesMuse) August 8, 2026

Jones also has a homer, two doubles, a triple, and four stolen bases during that stretch. His three-hit game against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night, in which he collected that one homer, was paramount in the Yankees sweeping the series.

If the Yankees do DFA Rosario and keep Jones on the roster, it doesn't change much. Bellinger could take Ramos' spot in the outfield, and that would sure up their outfield defense. Ramos could then return to the bench, since he was brought in to mash lefties. He wasn't expected to really start this much.

The Yankees would be down a righty, but considering the option they would be offloading from the roster doesn't hit southpaws well, it's not the biggest loss. If they were worried about that, Brian Cashman and company could have done a better job at the trade deadline. Rosario has been bad for a bit, so this wasn't a new revelation they were stuck with here.

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