Yankees option Spencer Jones back to Triple-A

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that a few members of the team are dealing with food poisoning, so perhaps Jones is one of them. The 25-year-old is hitting .225/.313/.366 in his 80 MLB plate appearances this season with a 42.5 percent strikeout rate and a 20.5 percent swinging strike rate. With Trent Grisham (hamstring) set to return this weekend, Jones may be headed back to Triple-A. Jose Caballero will start in center field on Wednesday with Oswald Cabrera at third base and Amed Rosario at designated hitter.

There were only two hits from the Yankees tonight by the time he was pulled, so Jones’s bad game won’t be held overly much against him. However, he is just 2-for-16 with two walks and nine strikeouts over the last 10 days. The odds are increasing that he’ll be sent down when Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon return this week.

Boone added that Grisham is likely to play in at least one minor league rehab contest prior to returning to New York’s lineup. The 29-year-old outfielder hit the injured list with a right hamstring strain back on June 13 after slashing .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six steals as the Yankees’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitching. It sounds like he’s on track to make it back at some point next week with all-or-nothing rookie slugger Spencer Jones likely headed back to the minors as the corresponding move.

Jones has seen his playing time slashed since Jasson Domínguez returned to New York’s outfield mix last week, starting just five times in eight games during that span. The 25-year-old’s all-or-nothing approach has yielded a pair of spectacular moonshots and a sky-high 40.6 percent strikeout rate across 64 plate appearances at the highest level this season.

Jones also had another walk and a strikeout. He’s 7-for-22 with two homers and a 9/4 K/BB since being recalled to the majors after Aaron Judge went down. It’ll be fun to see how things work out when it comes to him versus Jasson Domínguez as both get to play fairly regularly until Trent Grisham returns.

Jones figures to see regular at-bats between several outfield spots with both Trent Grisham (hamstring) and Aaron Judge (ribs) on the injured list for the next couple weeks. The 25-year-old possesses light-tower raw power, but his all-or-nothing approach renders him virtually unrosterable in shallow fantasy leagues. He’s hitting .263/.349/.368 with one homer, five RBI and one steal, while also striking out in nearly 42 percent of his 43 plate appearances, over 15 games in the majors this season.

Domínguez is in right field and hitting second in Saturday’s showdown against the Blue Jays after missing just over five weeks recovering from an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder back in early May. The 23-year-old former top prospect offers an intriguing blend of fantasy-relevant skills but hasn’t produced consistently enough to provide sustained mixed-league value. He’ll factor into New York’s corner outfield rotation, along with rookie Spencer Jones and versatile José Caballero, while both Aaron Judge (ribs) and Trent Grisham (hamstring) are on the shelf.

Grisham’s injury is merely the latest blow to New York’s outfield depth, leaving Cody Bellinger as the lone Opening Day starter left standing. It’ll be former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, who was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move, along with free-swinging rookie Spencer Jones and José Caballero splitting time in the outfield corners next to Bellinger. No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time Grisham misses. He was hitting .232/.341/.406 with eight homers and six steals as the Yankees’ primary leadoff hitter against right-handed starters.

Jones’s homer was hit 112.2 mph and projected at 443 feet. He later had a 384-foot flyout and actually went the entire game without striking out. Jones is now 10-for-36 with two extra-base hits and a 16/3 K/BB as a major leaguer. He definitely seems more comfortable now than in his first stint. He’s still going to strike out a ton, but the contact is getting better. He needs to keep it up, since Jasson Domínguez has started a rehab assignment as he makes his way back from a shoulder strain.

Caballero returns to shortstop with free-swinging rookie slugger Spencer Jones getting a shot in right field on Monday night in Cleveland. The versatile 29-year-old started back-to-back games in right field after franchise cornerstone Aaron Judge hit the injured list with a fracture in his rib cage over the weekend.