Spencer

Jones

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.

The Yankees have José Caballero in right field and Anthony Volpe at short against left-hander Ranger Suárez. Boston is throwing another lefty in Connelly Early on Sunday, so there’s a good chance that Jones will sit once again.

That’s just one fewer hit than he had in 10 games his first time around. Jones’s knocks all came on grounders, oddly enough. The hardest was hit 100.6 mph, and the double was 88.7 mph, but it was perfectly placed down the first base line. This isn’t the typical way Jones will succeed when he succeeds, but the Yankees will be happy about the contact. They still didn’t want him facing Aroldis Chapman in the ninth, though, sending up Max Schuemann in his place. The Red Sox are throwing lefties the next two days, so we’d expect Jones to be on the bench for at least one game. He started one out of the Yankees’ three games versus southpaws during his first stint on the roster.

Thus ends the José Caballero in right field era. Caballero is has been sat on the bench today with Anthony Volpe starting at shortstop for the fifth time in six games.

He’ll get some every day run while Aaron Judge is out, at least for the time being. Jones’ contact rate likely makes him a volatile enough player to stay away from for the time being, but he’s shown he has the speed and power to be a fantasy contributor if he can hit the ball.

Jones was demoted back on May 21st after hitting .167 (4-for-24) with 12 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. With Jasson Dominguez also beginning a rehab assignment on Friday, Jones doesn’t need to be a target in many fantasy leagues.