RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Wednesday night saw the Yankees offense explode for the first time in a long time.
The bats pushed across 10 runs, the most they've scored in almost a month, and they used that to grab victory after being down three runs early in their 10-5 win over the Mariners.
And while Trent Grisham 's two home runs may steal headlines, rookie Spencer Jones put his stamp on this game in a big way. The outfielder drove in three runs on two hits (both doubles), but it was his first double in the third inning that shifted the momentum.
With the Yankees down 4-1, Jones came up against Bryce Miller with two outs and two runners on. Miller struck out Jones in his first at-bat, but the left-handed slugger battled, working a full count before driving a 97 mph fastball down in the zone off the left field wall to drive in two. While it didn't tie or give the Yankees the lead, manager Aaron Boone pointed out the hit as a turning point in the game.
"Miller beat him up with the fastball up with the punch in the first, but the more he saw in the second at-bat, laid off some tough ones," Boone said after the win. "Found his timing with the fastball….really big at-bat to get us back in the game and the guys took it from there."
Spencer Jones goes the other way off the wall to drive in a pair with a double! pic.twitter.com/aczJqVTLlK
— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) August 13, 2026 "Feeling more comfortable, feeling better," Jones said of how he feels at the plate. "Better queues, kinda working through some stuff. And starting to do what I do."
Jones explained that those "queues" are what his body is doing at the plate: the stance, the swings and how his body feels. Since those have clicked, he's remembering how to move his body and his swing to mirror when he's seen success in his career.
And it has paid off.
While his overall numbers don't jump off the page -- a lot of that has to do with his first cup of coffee with the big league club in June -- with more starts and at-bats, Jones is becoming more comfortable facing major league pitching.
"Having professional at-bats every day," Boone said of what's different with Jones. "He understands some of his strengths and weaknesses. He’s done a good job of having a plan up there, and knowing what the pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses are. And he’s shown some adaptability at this level, which has been good."
The Yankees are trying to win without some of their top bats in Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Jones has stepped in and delivered production in their stead, especially in the clutch.
After his two doubles, Jones is hitting .282/.391/.590 (.981 OPS) in 46 PA with men on base this season, according to Katie Sharp .
He's also recorded 10 RBI over his last 13 games.
"I learned when I was young, when there’s runners on base, there’s really no pressure on you, the pressure is on the pitcher on the mound," Jones said of his ability to hit with RISP. "That’s how I always framed it. Guys are going to try and get you out; they’ll put stuff over the plate. And as long as you do your job and don’t go chasing, you’ll get a pitch to hit."
This stretch is the longest runway Jones has had in the majors. The injuries to Judge and Bellinger have facilitated more playing time for Jones, but earlier in the season, the young slugger didn't have that luxury, and he struggled and was eventually demoted.
So, what did the 25-year-old work on when he was back in Triple-A? Turns out, he needed to get back to being more relaxed.
"I need to slow things down. You try so hard to do a lot of things," Jones said. "For me, I’m a chill bird. I just need to relax and allow myself to do what I do and not force things. Settle into that mentality, not trying too hard, allowing things to happen has been the big difference."
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