On Friday, the Yankees delivered some unfortunate news. Aaron Judge, who doctors initially ruled day-to-day, is now on a 10-day IL. His injury has forced a recall of a prospect who flopped in May. 

The New York Yankees are bringing Spencer Jones back from Triple-A to join the active roster as the captain’s replacement. 

A young minor leaguer with a .949 OPS joining the major league roster should be exciting news for the pinstripes fans. That excitement lasted only until Jones’ May call-up. But he blew it, slashing .167/.259/.167 with 2 RBIs over ten games. Now that Judge’s injury has offered him a second chance, there is a shift in the level of excitement among the Yankees faithful. 

Judge had been experiencing some discomfort in his ribs and right shoulder for some time. But as the captain, he continued to play for his team. 

But the toll it took on his performance was not ignorable. He has gone 11-for-57 in his last 15 games, scoring seven runs with just one homer. 

As his batting average dropped to .198 during the same phase, the franchise had to step in. And the MRI revealed a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side. That’s why the Yankees had to shut him down on June 5. More imaging in 4-6 weeks will determine his return timeline; he is out at least that long.

Despite the team laying out the timeline, Judge told reporters on Friday: “I don’t like talking time tables. That stuff’s all made up, so you never know what’s going to happen.” He also said he would focus on his lower body in the coming weeks.     

Before his short MLB stint, Jones was hitting .269 and was one of the top players in the minors with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs across 43 games. His minor league OPS of .949 collapsed to .426 in the majors. And the Yankees sent him back as soon as José Caballero became fit to rejoin. 

While the Yankees might be going for a reasonable gamble with Jones, the Yankees Nation shows far less enthusiasm for the recall. 

Yankees faithful remain unconvinced with Spencer Jones’ callback

While a good number of people are excited and have tried to motivate Jones to capitalize on his second chance, many fans have been quite harsh on the youngster. They refuse to forgive him for letting them down less than a month ago. 

“He’s a strikeout merchant,” said one fan. Another put it more sarcastically, adding, “Word is he struck out before putting on his uniform.”

Spencer Jones struck out 12 times during his 24 at-bats in his last MLB stint. And his strikeout tendency continued even after his demotion, as he recorded 14 from 36 at-bats. That’s why so many people are rejecting him outright. 

“He sucks. That’s not the answer,” read another comment. 

Jones went 4-for-24 in his May stint, striking out 12 times. Combining that with his high strikeout rates easily explains the fan frustration. But those aren’t the only concerns. 

“Just so they can have him on the bench Saturday and Sunday against the lefties,” one diehard wrote.

Jones is known for his weakness against left-handers. And New York will host the Red Sox this weekend. The Red Sox are expected to start left-handers this weekend, a matchup that historically favors them against Jones. 

In his May stint, Jones’ 4 hits all came against right-handers; he went 0-for-4 against lefties. The sample is too small to conclude, but fans worry the matchup will test his confidence. But fans fear that facing tough LHPs right after the call-up can damage his confidence. 

Presuming that might happen anyway, a fan commented, “It is again going to be temporary.”

But that might not be the case. In fact, after his demotion, he recorded just seven runs. And a .378 OBP (MiLB) this season is still considered elite. 

That’s why some fans are still hopeful. And for the team’s sake, they want Jones to succeed this time before Judge can return.