Yankees next steps are clear after Baseball America's dubious Spencer Jones inclusion

Aside from the re-signing of Cody Bellinger, the presence of Spencer Jones climbing the minor league ladder has some champing at the bit for the New York Yankees to trade Jasson Domínguez.

As Domínguez's stock is down amongst the fan base, Jones' is rising. The mountainous outfielder has always been tantalizing, but his mid-summer hot streak was one for the ages and turned a lot of heads. That's why it might be curious that he landed on Baseball America's (subscription required) list of 15 bounceback candidates for 2026.

Jones split the season almost equally between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with the heater truly getting underway as soon as he arrived at the minors' highest level. With a combined line of .274/.362/.571 with 35 homers and 29 steals, you might be asking yourself ... bounce-back from what, exactly?

On the surface, it would appear that Jones finally put together all of the tools that have made him so intriguing, and he should be hurtling toward the majors, threatening Domínguez and anyone else in his wake. However, there's a dark side to his summer surge that hasn't gotten enough attention and should force New York to act before it's too late.

Spencer Jones' inclusion on Baseball America's bounce-back prospects lists tells you why the Yankees need to move to trade him now

What happened after his tear came to an end is what has flown under the radar. Baseball America has been beating this drum for a while, and more focus should be put on just how awful Jones was down the stretch.

The author of the BA piece, Jesus Cano, wrote, "But the surge didn’t hold. In the final 46 games of the season, Jones cooled off dramatically, hitting just six homers with a .210/.281/.375 line and striking out 42.3% of the time while walking only 8.2%. That was thanks in large part to a penchant for swing-and-miss that has led to strikeout rates above 35% in each of his last two seasons."

46 games isn't an insignificant stretch, Jones played 67 at Triple-A, after all, and actually represents a greater portion of his season than the hot streak covered. It also brought to light the ultimate concern with Jones — the strikeouts.

When you think about it, Jones had the advantage of surprise when he first arrived in Scranton, but as pitchers adjusted, he struggled at a level he's rarely dipped to throughout his young career. Notably, when it seemed as if he might be promoted to fill Aaron Judge's place midsummer, Jones instead suffered from back spasms. When he returned, the slide began in earnest. Are the two things related? Or was Jones simply figured out? The large-enough sample size indicates that, once he got out of rhythm, he couldn't return to what had worked.

Boom-or-bust is the common tag associated with the six-foot-seven youngster, and as he approaches his 25th birthday, we're getting to the point where it will become clear which direction he will go.

The Yankees have a history of holding onto prospects, especially those without a clear path to big league playing time, for too long, watching their value turn to dust in the process. We're still at the point in time that the hype train is chugging along for Jones, but a slow start to the 2026 season could derail it quickly.

Meanwhile, everyone's favorite trade chip, Domínguez, has proven infinitely more at the major league level. As uneven as his rookie season was, his 103 wRC+ was still a bit better than league average, and he's nearly two full years younger than Jones. He has a better pathway toward a future with the club than the Vanderbilt product.

The Yankees still have needs, and given his talent, proximity to the majors, and name recognition, Jones could headline a package to fetch something incredibly useful to support the 2026 push to win a championship. He might not have that same appeal at the trade deadline, and if he's found to be the next in a long line who could never beat the strikeout bug, the Yankees could be left with nothing.