Yankees send rookie Spencer Jones back to Triple-A before activating José Caballero
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — Spencer Jones’ first stint in the majors has come to an end.
Ahead of Friday night’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees optioned the rookie outfielder to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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The move preceded the Yankees activating infielder José Caballero (finger) from the injured list.
“It was a really tough call,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday at Yankee Stadium.
“We had some discussion before [Thursday’s] game, had even more after the game, and then took a while even to make the decision. Just the landscape of who we’re playing, who we’re facing [in] the next week of games, [we] felt like this was the right way to go.”
After being called up on May 8, Jones batted .167 (4 for 24) with two RBI and a .426 OPS over 10 games, striking out 12 times in 27 plate appearances.
The Yankees could have sent down shortstop Anthony Volpe or utility man Max Schuemann, both of whom bat right-handed, but they instead decided to demote the lefty-swinging Jones with upcoming matchups in mind.
Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan is set to start Sunday’s series finale, while right-hander Michael Wacha — who is tougher against lefty batters — is lined up to pitch against the Yankees on Tuesday in Kansas City. Left-hander Noah Cameron is scheduled to start Wednesday for the Royals.
Jones’ debut came with considerable fanfare, as the former first-round pick’s prodigious power has made him one of the Yankees’ bigger prospects.
However, the swing-and-miss issues that have plagued Jones in the minor leagues loomed large against major-league pitching.
Jones posted a strikeout percentage of 45.8% after his call-up, while his contact percentage against pitches in the strike zone was 73.0%.
It’s a small sample size, but for reference, Colorado’s Hunter Goodman’s 35.7% strikeout percentage is the worst among qualified MLB hitters.
And among qualified hitters, only Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox (66.2%) and Rafael Devers of the San Francisco Giants (70.5%) entered Friday with in-zone contact percentages below 73.0%.
The 6-7 Jones did demonstrate excellent bat speed and an ability to hit the ball hard, and his average exit velocity of 96.4 mph provided a glimpse of his rare power potential.
“I feel like it was a good experience for Spencer,” Boone said. “Even though he didn’t get a lot of results, I actually feel like he held his own pretty well, and even the last two days, felt like he was having some good at-bats.”
But for now, Jones is headed back to Triple-A, where he hit 11 home runs and posted a .958 OPS in 33 games before being called up.
Last season, Jones hit 35 home runs with a .933 OPS and 29 stolen bases over 116 games across Double-A and Triple-A, primarily as a center fielder.
The Yankees called Jones up after Giancarlo Stanton (calf) and Jasson Domínguez (shoulder) landed on the injured list.
Jones’ demotion served as a show of faith in Volpe, who entered Friday with a .217 average (5-for-23) but a .400 on-base percentage in 30 major-league plate appearances this season.
Before he suffered a small fracture to his right middle finger, Caballero won the Yankees’ starting shortstop job while Volpe went through a rehab assignment for offseason shoulder surgery.
After Volpe completed his 20-day rehab window, the Yankees demoted Volpe — their starter the past three seasons — to Triple-A, only to call him up last week after Caballero went on the IL.
Caballero got the start at shortstop Friday, and Boone said both he and Volpe will play. Volpe is set to work at second base on the days he doesn’t play, Boone said.
Sending Jones down also indicates the Yankees are comfortable with the health of Trent Grisham, who exited Wednesday night’s game with left knee discomfort.
Imaging determined Grisham avoided structural damage, and after sitting out of Thursday night’s 2-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, the center fielder returned to the lineup Friday.
“Good enough to go,” Boone said. “He ended up having a pretty good day [on Thursday] with it, and we saw lots of improvements, felt good about the imaging. … When I talked to him late this morning, he felt like he felt better already. Came in here, went through some [high-intensity agility work] this afternoon, so we’re a go.”
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