While speculation swirls over who the New York Yankees might pursue should Giancarlo Stanton and/or DJ LeMahieu miss a significant portion of the season, a few of the team’s top prospects have been making a case for an increase in playing time.
On Tuesday, it was Spencer Jones.
In a 12-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, the outfielder went 3-for-3 out of the No. 9 spot in the Yankees order, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Facing Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in the second inning, Jones ripped an RBI double into the right-field corner. One inning later, he blasted a two-striker slider from Phillies right-hander Cody Stashak over the fence for a three-run home run.
Recently named the team’s No. 3 prospect, Jones worked on a change in his swing during the offseason, and he is batting .429 this spring with a 1.500 OPS. Fantasy baseball draft analyst Andrew DeCeglie posted about Jones’s game on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Spencer Jones continues to impress and prove the doubters wrong!”
Don’t count Yankees manager Aaron Boone among the doubters, as he believes the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder has “enormous” potential with the enticing combination of power, defense and speed.
“It’s just going to be harnessing that size a little bit, and that swing,” Boone said.
George Lombard Jr. Excites Yankees With ‘Unbelievable Makeup’
Middle infielder George Lombard Jr. has also flashed a hot bat for the Yankees. Against Wheeler, he ripped a 106-mph RBI single to the opposite field. A day earlier, in New York’s 12-3 win over Pittsburgh, Lombard Jr., the team’s No. 2 prospect, hit a long home run to left, and for the spring, he is batting .333 with a 1.145 OPS.
“That’s a little peek to see a young, physical kid continuing to develop into his body,” Boone said. “(Lombard Jr. has) unbelievable makeup and work ethic; just a really talented athlete. He’s an exciting player with an exciting future.”
Ben Rice has also emerged as a potential replacement for Stanton. In 152 at-bats with the Yankees in 2024, Rice hit 7 home runs with 23 RBIs, and the left-handed batter has also showed off his impressive power during the spring.
Yankees Top Prospect Jasson Domínguez Getting Comfortable Offensively
Meanwhile on Tuesday, New York’s top prospect, Jasson Domínguez, flashed the potential that has most expecting he will open the season in left field. He blasted his first home run of the season, going the opposite way on an outside curveball that landed 385 feet away from home plate, and also showed off his speed by beating out an infield single.
“Feels good to get that first one,” Domínguez told the New York Post about the homer. “Getting more comfortable with every at-bat.”
Domínguez has just 4 hits in 20 spring at-bats, but the switch-hitter said he is feeling confident about where he is offensively.
“I feel if I have a good swing, I can get it out anywhere,” Domínguez said. “I feel good about my swing from both sides. The first thing is for me to stay healthy this year and then my goal is to perform like people expect me to perform.”
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