David Lennon: Spencer Jones' hot streak forcing Yankees' roster dilemma as Aaron Judge nears return

What to do with Spencer Jones.

It’s a question that haunted the Yankees the past few years, when Jones made a name for himself in the minors as an athletically-gifted strikeout machine with prodigious power. By the time this season rolled around, Jones figured to be attractive trade bait, possibly for landing a big fish like Tarik Skubal.

But Brian Cashman held tight to Jones, as the GM typically does with his highly-touted position prospects, and now that question involving the 25-year-old outfielder has taken on a whole different meaning.

The Yankees, plainly put, need Jones -- or at least the version that’s helped prop up their enigmatic offense for more than three weeks. Jones is hitting .306 (22-for-72) with four homers, 15 RBIs and a .940 OPS over his last 23 games since Aug. 8. Not coincidentally, the Yankees’ collective bats have climbed out of the MLB basement during that stretch, going from avert-your-eyes horrendous to middle-of-the-pack respectable.

Keeping him in the lineup, however, is going to require some hard decisions when the team returns to the Bronx next Tuesday -- and when Aaron Judge presumably heads back to rightfield for the first time since May 31. Both Judge and manager Aaron Boone insist that the three-time MVP will resume his defensive duties, despite the increased risk to the now-patched-up stress fracture of his right first rib, while eschewing the protection the DH spot offers.

That’s hardly guaranteed, especially since Judge has yet to fully test himself on a daily diet of high-velocity BP. He could feel differently about the DH by next week. But let’s proceed under the assumption that Judge will be the Yankees' starting rightfielder at some point during the Rockies series through the end of the October campaign.

Which brings us back to the Jones conundrum. Are the Yankees better off riding with the veteran incumbent Trent Grisham -- who statistically has been one of the worst overall centerfielders in the game -- or the streaking rookie in Jones, who’s not only on a heater but also proving himself to be a future piece for the franchise?

Based on the most recent snapshot, you’d give the nod to Jones, as his stellar plate performance suggests that he could finally be figuring things out on the major-league stage. Take the Yankees’ 7-3 win Tuesday night over the Angels, when Jones spurred the bounce-back victory with a towering first-inning homer (his second blast in as many days), then finished 2-for-3 with a pair of walks.

“Spencer just keeps getting a little better every game,” Gerrit Cole told reporters Tuesday night in Anaheim. “He’s got a great mindset in that regard and it’s paying dividends for him.”

One of the more surprising stats: Jones is raking against lefty pitchers at a .400 clip (14-for-35) despite being largely viewed as a platoon player, which has boosted his stock considerably. Overall, there’s still plenty of swing-and-miss, with a 35% K-rate on the season, but that’s easier to excuse with his power production as Jones helped fill some of the void left by Judge’s missing slug.

“I’m not thinking too hard about hitting the long ball,” Jones said Tuesday night. “It’s just about putting good swings on the ball for the most part. Been lucky to connect with a couple these last couple of days, so we’re just going to keep this rolling. Not look too much into it and keep doing what we’re doing.”

Jones isn’t merely a big bat. He’s got speed on the basepaths, and can cover a good chunk of real estate in the outfield. His 6-7 reach certainly helps at the wall, too. At times, his reads have been spotty, however, which can handcuff his physical skills.

Come September, a streaking player like Jones can help carry a team well into October. It happened across town for the Mets two years ago, when Triple-A call-up Mark Vientos suddenly caught fire and was among the team’s most dangerous hitters right through the NLCS. But in Jones’ case, he’s stuck between the Yankees’ returning captain and Grisham’s more established resume, as bleak as that’s looked over the past few months.

While Boone has vigorously defended Grisham in the past, dropping him to fifth and sixth, respectively, for the first two games in Anaheim -- against righty starters -- was an acknowledgment of his snowballing struggles. Grisham’s eighth-inning RBI single Tuesday night snapped an 0-for-23 skid. Over his last 12 games, he’s hitting .071 (3-for-42) with one homer and a .374 OPS.

Grisham may be a two-time Gold Glove winner, but his last award was in 2022, and it’s clear those days are long behind him. As stat guru Katie Sharp pointed out, Grisham’s minus-6 OAA (outs above average) is the worst in the majors among qualified centerfielders and his minus-7 DRS (defensive runs saved) is third from the bottom.

Unlike Jones, Grisham has no future in the Bronx. He’s playing out a one-year, $22.025 qualifying offer that was ill-fated from the jump. But the Yankees have valued Grisham for his game-breaking ability -- though he’s displayed it much less frequently this year -- along with the history of delivering in high-leverage situations.

Grisham is obviously the more known quantity, but it will be interesting to see how Jones’ audition finishes up on this West Coast trip. He’s been acing it to this point.

“He’s been finding a lot of barrels at the plate,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. told YES Tuesday night. “I’m just happy he’s finding his groove and it’s at the right time.”

Jones already has answered plenty of questions, that’s for sure.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.