Yankees' Spencer Jones Triple-A promotion could mean 1 of 2 things for New York

On Friday, it was announced New York Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones would be getting promoted to Triple-A after his recent incredible surge at Double-A Somerset. In June alone, he slugged seven homers and hit .315 with a 1.056 OPS.

What hasn't gone overlooked among Yankees fans, however, is the fact that he's been stuck at Double-A for what's felt like an eternity. The 24-year-old just finished his 190th game at the level, and his full 2024 campaign in Somerset was pretty bad. He hit .259 with 17 homers, a .789 OPS and 200 strikeouts in 124 games. Those are not numbers you want from one of your top three prospects.

But perhaps Jones is a late bloomer and needed to work out some kinks. After all, he's a giant (6-foot-7, 240 pounds) and is no stranger to mechanical issues with his hitting. So far this year, he's batting .274 with 16 homers and a .984 OPS across 49 games, which is a massive turnaround.

It's clear he had nothing left to conquer at Somerset, so the Yankees brought him one step closer to big league action. But what's their plan with Jones, who has been the subject of trade rumors for the last couple years?

Yankees News: Spencer Jones promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

The promotion comes the night after Jones notched a walk-off RBI single to lift the Patriots to a 36-36 record. It was nice to see him playing with No. 1 prospect George Lombard for a bit, but it's time the 2022 first-round pick takes the next step in his development since it could help the Yankees in more ways than one.

Though it was definitely time for Jones to get the promotion to Triple-A, it's unclear if he'll see things through with the Yankees. At this very moment, the Bombers do not need outfielders with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez filling spots on the big league roster. Not only that, but Aaron Boone, somehow, has too many lefty bats to work into the current mix (after years of not having enough). Jones represents a redundancy, which could foreshadow him being dealt at the trade deadline for a more urgent roster need.

The Yankees might be kicking themselves for not trading Jones for Corbin Burnes last offseason, but they're now presented with a chance to redeem his value on the trade market if they wish to do so. Giving him a month to succeed at Triple-A would do wonders for what the Yankees could potentially get in a return.

Then again, a surplus of talent of Jones' caliber is never a bad thing. If he turns out to be a mammoth lefty slugger and proves he can handle pitching at the next level, then perhaps he can join the Bombers when rosters expand in September. That would give them a better idea of how he can fit with the 2026 team, especially if Cody Bellinger departs in free agency.

It very much feels like a win-win situation for the Yankees, and the timing couldn't be better. On the one hand, another young slugger who resembles Judge (who, if you remember correctly, debuted for 27 games during his age-24 season) waiting in the wings can only make this team better in the future if he pans out.

But if the Yankees come to terms with the reality of their player development and opt to sell high on a toolsy slugger that might entice sellers at the trade deadline, it'd be hard to argue with that logic knowing the 2025 roster still needs pieces to make a World Series run.