Spencer Jones hits bench for first time in a month

After homering Monday and Tuesday, Jones got the nod over Trent Grisham against lefty Reid Detmers tonight, but he ended up with his first golden sombrero as a major leaguer. He’s up to 76 strikeouts in 210 plate appearances as a major leaguer, but if anything, that 36 percent rate is probably a little better than expected; he finished at 37 percent in Double-A in 2024 and 35 percent between Double- and Triple-A last year. And he’s hitting a respectable .239/.314/.441 anyway.

Jones put the Yankees on the board early, taking Grayson Rodriguez deep for a two-run blast in the first inning. He later drew a walk and stole second in the sixth before walking again and scoring a run in the eighth. The 25-year-old slugger has homered in back-to-back games and is up to nine with nine steals while hitting .245/.320/.451 across 206 plate appearances.

Ramos’ playing time against right-handers has been squeezed since Cody Bellinger returned from the injured list, but he hit third or fourth in all three games against a lefty in this weekend’s series with Boston. The former Giant has struggled with his new team, but he hit his first homer as a Yankee in a five-run fifth inning on Sunday. There was a controversial call on a ball that Ceddanne Rafaela appeared to catch, but the center fielder was ruled to have “trapped” it instead. A two-RBI hit from Paul Goldschmidt followed, before Ramos connected for a three-run homer off Ranger Suarez.

Bellinger will get a breather in the second game of Saturday’s twin bill with left-hander Alec Gamboa starting on the mound for the Red Sox. Spencer Jones will draw a start in his place in left field and will bat seventh for the Bombers.

No surprises here with rookie lefty Jake Bennett toeing the rubber for the opening contest of Saturday’s twin bill at Yankee Stadium. It’ll be Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario getting a look at first and second base, respectively, with Heliot Ramos getting into the lineup in right field.

Ramos is just 6-for-53 with no homers in 16 games since joining the Yankees, so he’s losing time even with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton still absent. Things might change if he heats up, but he figures to play mostly versus southpaws for now, making him useless in mixed leagues.

Jones delivered an RBI double in the second and was also caught stealing for the first time as a big-leaguer. He has seven homers and eight steals in his first 57 games with the Yankees. Of course, it has come with a 36 percent strikeout rate. Heliot Ramos was the odd man out with Cody Bellinger back in the lineup, but playing time will be something to watch as New York gets healthier down the stretch.

Jones led off the third inning with a single and scored as Jose Caballero bounced into a fielder’s choice. He then crushed a 398-foot (108.0-mph EV) solo shot off of Kyle Bradish in the sixth inning that extended the Bombers’ advantage to 5-1. He also singled in the eighth inning and swiped second base but was ultimately left stranded there. For the season, the dynamic 25-year-old is now hitting .227/.305/.407 with six homers, 19 RBI and seven stolen bases on the season.

Jones has plenty of power, so hitting him in the middle of the lineup makes sense. However, in 17 games since the All-Star break, he’s also hitting .196 with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate, 17.2 percent swinging strike rate, and 68 percent contact rate. The power and solid walk rate have given him a usable .756 OPS, but he remains a risky bet given his contact profile.

Jones put the Yankees on the board with a base hit in the second inning to drive in a run, then stole second for his fourth steal of the season. He then plated his second RBI on a triple in the fifth before scoring on a balk. Jones would draw a walk in the eighth, reaching for a third time. It was an excellent day at the plate for the 25-year-old outfielder after going hitless in his last five games.