Early signs point toward Spencer Jones forcing the issue on Yankees in 2026

The early bird gets the worm, right? That's the mentality New York Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones is taking this winter. Jones is already working out at Yankee Stadium and, according to Bryan Hoch, plans to report to spring training early, showing a serious desire to force the club's hand in 2026.

Center field is one of the big question marks for the Yankees this offseason, but the outfield picture as a whole could look different next season. Figuring out how Jones could fit, if he even does, won't have a quick resolution, but the answer to that question could be a very important one.

Spencer Jones is going to do his best to force his way into the Yankees' 2026 plans

Jones' scorching summer was best exemplified by his July performance, which saw him hit .419 with 11 homers and an eye-popping 1.423 OPS. That streak earned him International League Player of the Month honors. With that, his buzz started to grow even louder.

There's always been an allure to Jones, who at six-foot-seven looks like an even more athletic, left-handed-hitting version of Aaron Judge. But despite the hype, there has always been a major concern: the strikeouts.

After his stunning showing, Jones faded down the stretch, slashing just .210/.281/.375 with a 42.3% strikeout rate from August 1 onward. While those struggles didn't completely erase the optimism, they did temper it as the youngster fell back into the familiar trap (and battled injury, which kept him from replacing Judge when The Captain's elbow injury flared).

Still, Brian Cashman has come out and said that Jones will have a chance to win the starting center field job in spring training. Take that for what it's worth, though. Two decades ago, Cashman famously said he'd be comfortable turning the center field reins over to Bubba Crosby, only to quickly do an about-face and steal Johnny Damon away from the Red Sox.

Crosby, of course, never had the potential that Jones does, but it's worth noting that any comments coming from the front office could easily be a smoke screen. They are heavily interested in reuniting with Cody Bellinger, after all.

However, even a Bellinger reunion doesn't take a major role off the table for Jones in 2026. The Yankees are also losing 581 plate appearances and 34 homers from their outfield if Trent Grisham departs, and a reunion with the Juan Soto trade throw-in seems less likely.

At least in the power department, Jones could fill Grisham's shoes, even if Bellinger takes the center field job off the table. Of course, that might complicate things for Jasson Dominguez, who saw his role shrink as his uneven rookie campaign wore on.

At the end of the day, there are multiple pathways that Jones can take to make an impact and force his way into the Yankees' 2026 plans, and his actions now bode well for things going his way, once it comes time for final cuts next spring.