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Spencer Jones and Jasson Domínguez are, per reports, available at this trade deadline amid the New York Yankees' search for upgrades across the board. Domínguez has no defensive home, and given a lengthy audition this season, his bat hasn't overrode that reality. Jones is a capable center fielder who has, and will always have, significant swing-and-miss in his game. He's now plummeted down to ninth on Baseball America's Top 30 list, but he's got thunderous pop you simply can't teach, and posted an .808 OPS in his second stint in the big leagues this year.
We're no longer sure what Domínguez is, but Jones' Joey Gallo-style ceiling remains on the board, and it would behoove some team to look at him as a secondary piece and say, "Hey ... no harm in getting him in the building, right?"
Thanks to the weather Tuesday night, the Yankees have a second doubleheader in four days planned for Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which gave them a 27th man to use and one final chance, with everyone healthy, to vault Jones to the bigs as a helper.
They left no doubt about the importance of this opportunity, not only starting Jones against Mitch Keller, but batting him third (at DH, though, keeping him off his feet in the outfield). Could he potentially start both games, one on the grass?
Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Max Fried reunion steals doubleheader headlines as Spencer Jones returns
Jones is far more suited to roaming the grounds than Domínguez is, at this point, but that's not the way the Yankees see it. Maybe they'll switch for the evening game, when Max Fried returns ahead of schedule and starts inducing his trademark grounders, something neither outfielder can help with.
Fried and Cole will be active on the roster together on Wednesday for the first time since Fried put pen to paper with the Yankees, which is a completely crazy thing. Another roster move is coming later, likely related to the bullpen, given Jones' promotion as the extra man.
Bumping Fried's final rehab start up to the Bronx while simultaneously moving Will Warren of the schedule and resting Jones at Triple-A had some fans concocting crazy Mason Miller thoughts on Tuesday night. Those dreams will have to be deferred a little longer. At the very least, though, Jones is getting another MLB shot in the spotlight portion of the lineup to strut his stuff before teams come calling in less than two weeks. The idea of Jones as the second piece to a Hunter Goodman trade, giving him free reign of the thin air in Colorado? Tempting, to say the least.
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This article was originally published on yanksgoyard.com as Yankees thrust Spencer Jones into lineup vs. Pirates for final trade deadline showcase.
