Spencer Jones' power surge puts the Yankees in a trade deadline pickle
Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now
TORONTO — Where is the line between a prospect raising his trade value and becoming too valuable to trade?
Spencer Jones is on his way to finding out.
Advertisement
The Yankees prospect has been on an absolute tear since being promoted to Triple-A last month, crushing 10 home runs in his first 16 games.
The timing of it all makes the situation even more intriguing, just 10 days away from the trade deadline.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
19 minutes ago
- New York Post
Spencer Jones flirting with ‘untouchable' status after latest power display by Yankees prospect
Spencer Jones may cool off at some point, but that time is not yet here. The surging Yankees prospect continued his ridiculous heater, crushing three home runs in his first three at-bats Thursday afternoon with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, giving him 13 home runs through 19 games since being promoted from Double-A. Jones seems to be playing his way into 'untouchable' status entering the July 31 trade deadline, as long as the Yankees think at least some version of this hot streak is for real. If not, the 24-year-old outfielder is only raising his trade value by the day. Of course, assuming the Yankees hold on to him at the deadline and Jones keeps dominating Triple-A, the question may soon become whether Jones is forcing his way to The Bronx. But as the Yankees currently are constructed, there is no lane for him to get playing time as they already have Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger playing center (where Jones has spent the bulk of his career) and Bellinger and Jasson Domínguez in left. 3 New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones #78, hitting a 2-run homer in the 6th inning of a Spring Training game on February 22, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post There is some belief the Yankees might be open to moving Domínguez for the right return, though that may be a long shot. Scouts have credited Jones for closing some holes in his swing this season — he still was tweaking it during spring training and early in the season before settling on what an AL scout described as a 'mirror image' of Aaron Judge — which has turned into a huge year as the left-handed slugger has re-established himself after a so-so 2024. 3 Jones has 13 home runs through 19 games since being promoted from Double-A. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'I will say that I think he's really made some nice adjustments this year,' an NL scout said this week. 'He's gotten back to trying to use the field a little bit more, not trying to pull everything, not trying to lift everything and hit home runs and let his strength and athleticism play, not force the issue, which I think he tried to do all year last year.' The Yankees are likely to have a new reliever or two by 6:01 p.m. next Thursday. 3 Jonathan Loáisiga #43 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up a two-run home run during the 7th inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post But regardless of how much help they receive in trades, getting Jonathan Loáisiga straightened out is one of their top priorities in order to have their best bullpen. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS The right-hander owns a 4.91 ERA, giving up seven home runs across 25 ¹/₃ innings. He has not been a reliable option in the late innings, yet the Yankees need to keep using him there because they do not have many better options outside of Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Tim Hill, who cannot pitch every high-leverage inning every day. 'We got to get [Loáisiga] in spots in the order where hopefully he can be successful, but we need him to be successful for this to work, especially with some of the attrition we've had lately with the bullpen,' manager Aaron Boone said. 'The stuff is where it is when he's been at his best. That command or putting it where he wants, that's where he's got to get better.'
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Yankees betting on themselves despite their self-inflicted wounds
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now Before the Yankees boarded their flight from Atlanta to Toronto on Sunday night with what they hoped was some newfound momentum, Aaron Judge called it a 'good time to start getting hot.' Three days later, inside the visiting clubhouse at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night, the only thing hot was the temper of the fan base following a horrific defensive showing that capped off another miserable series against the division-leading Blue Jays. Advertisement Still, despite the Yankees' malaise now stretching back six weeks, during which they have gone 14-21, Judge insisted there were better times and a hot stretch ahead. 'Oh, it's coming,' the captain said with a grin. 'We haven't hit our hot streak yet, but we're going to. When it does, watch out.' But it is hard to take real steps forward when the Yankees keep shooting themselves in the foot. Advertisement 4 Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer (4) steals second base as New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) misses the throw in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 4 Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees reacts after popping out in the fifth inning during the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 21, 2025. Getty Images The closest thing the Yankees have had to a consistent stretch of good baseball recently was their five-game winning streak shortly before the All-Star break. But that was preceded by two six-game losing streaks, and since coming out of the break, they have not put their best foot forward. 'As frustrating as it is and as pissed off as you are when we don't play our best against a team ahead of us, we also have to understand it's a series and we got to keep moving,' manager Aaron Boone said. Advertisement CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS While another baserunning mistake loomed over their first game of the second half, they rebounded to win the next two games before their defense fell apart again in Toronto to drop two of three. 4 IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 4 Aaron Boone, right, argues with home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez prior to being ejected in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. AP Advertisement The Yankees keep wanting to tell anyone who will listen they are a better fundamental team than last year — when a lack of clean baseball proved to be their downfall on the biggest stage of all, the World Series — except their actual play has more often indicated otherwise. 'When it's not perfect and you're not just pounding teams, you got to do little things right within games to give you a chance to win those close ones,' Boone said. The Yankees, who were a season-high 17 games above .500 before this tailspin began, should get some reinforcements over the next week ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. But even the best haul will not be a cure-all for the Yankees if they cannot start playing a crisper brand of baseball. 'I think it's about everybody collectively saying, 'I got to step up, I got to focus a little bit more. Go out there and just do my job,' ' Judge said. 'That's what it comes down to: Do your job.' What was once a seven-game lead atop the AL East was a four-game deficit entering Thursday. For now, the Yankees will spend the next six weeks tracking the Blue Jays from afar before seeing them one last time (in the regular season, at least) the first weekend of September in The Bronx. But by going 6-1 against the Yankees in a span of three weeks (to make it 7-3 overall), the Blue Jays have already clinched the season series, meaning they would have the tiebreaker if the teams are deadlocked after 162 games. Advertisement Of course, there's a long way to go between now and then. And the Yankees would be hard-pressed to even have a chance at winning the division if they don't improve on their record within the AL East (11-18). For now, their most immediate order of business is cleaning up their game and getting out of their own way. Advertisement 'I still bet on our guys,' Boone said. 'I do think there's a steadiness to the group and a quiet confidence because we've been just OK for over a month now,' he added. 'It's been a lot of winning a few, losing some, couple little losing streaks that you always want to try to avoid. But I do feel like there's an underlying confidence with this group. That said, we understand that we have to play better, especially within the division, if we're going to get to the places we want to go.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers sign six-year MLB reliever Geoff Hartlieb to minor league contract
ARLINGTON, TX — The Detroit Tigers signed right-handed reliever Geoff Hartlieb to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Toledo. He already pitched in his first game for the Mud Hens, making his debut Sunday, July 13 — just one day after signing. He retired four batters across 1⅓ innings, striking out two and throwing 11 of 17 pitches for strikes. Hartlieb has logged in 80⅔ innings over 66 relief appearances in parts of six MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2019-21), New York Mets (2021), Miami Marlins (2023), Colorado Rockies (2024) and New York Yankees (2025). WE'RE BACK: Tigers post-All-Star break: A.J. Hinch wants players to be 2 things In his MLB career, Hartlieb owns a 7.92 ERA with 59 walks and 80 strikeouts. He throws three pitches: four-seam fastball, sinker and slider. Buy our book: The Epic History of the Tigers Over the past three seasons, Hartlieb has a 10.05 ERA with 11 walks and 14 strikeouts in 14⅓ innings with the Marlins, Rockies and Yankees. In 2025, his fastball averaged 95 mph, and his slider generated a 31.3% whiff rate. The Yankees designated Hartlieb for assignment July 9 — his second DFA of the month — a day after he allowed three runs while getting just one out. He elected free agency July 11, then signed with the Tigers on July 12. Z-MAC: How Tigers utility player Zach McKinstry became a 2025 MLB All-Star Hartlieb has spent most of his professional career at the Triple-A level, where he owns a 4.15 ERA, 9.6% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate across 262⅓ innings. But Hartlieb has shown improved command and effectiveness in 2025, posting a 3.22 ERA with a 6.7% walk rate and 26.8% strikeout rate over 36⅓ innings between Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees) and Triple-A Toledo (Tigers). Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers sign Geoff Hartlieb to minor league contract
