Spencer Jones made his MLB debut in 2026 and is still working through the early career adjustments, both at the plate and in center field. But with the August trade deadline bearing down, the Yankees have reportedly been willing to listen on him.

If the front office needs a reason to hang onto him instead, they do not need to look far.

The best motivation is already in their own clubhouse. It is their captain. It is Aaron Judge.

Judge also had a rough first taste of the majors. In 2016, his first extended run in the big leagues ended with a .179 average, four home runs, a .263 on-base percentage, a .345 slugging percentage, and 42 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances.

That performance was rough enough that the Yankees didn't hand him the right field job outright. Judge had to go win it in spring training 2017, in a competition against Aaron Hicks, after spending his offseason reworking his swing.

He got the job, then turned in a 52-homer Rookie of the Year season in 2017. It set the tone for the rest of his career.

And here's how that debut stacks up against what Jones has done so far in his own rookie season, per The Yankee Report on X.

2016 Rookie Aaron Judge: 95 PA | 4 HR | .608 OPS | 44.2 K% | 62 wRC+

2026 Rookie Spencer Jones: 101 PA | 4 HR | .743 OPS | 38.6 K% | 111 wRC+

Same power output through a similar sample. Fewer strikeouts. And a dramatically better overall offensive line. Jones' 111 wRC+ means he has been 11 percent better than a league-average hitter. Judge was nearly 40 percent worse than average over that stretch in 2016.

Still, he managed to get back from that rough stretch. So why not Jones?

How Jones' three stints show steady progress and why Judge's path matters

Jones' 2026 season can be divided into three chapters, and each one has looked a little more polished than the last.

His first chance came in early May, when he was called up after Jasson Domínguez went down with a shoulder injury. It did not go well.

Over 10 games, Jones hit just .167, going 4-for-24 with no extra-base hits and no home runs. The numbers were nearly identical to Judge's 2016 line. He was optioned back to Triple-A when Jose Caballero was activated.

The second stint shows some improvement. Recalled in early June after Judge landed on the injured list with his rib injury, Jones settled in.

He was hitting .265 with two home runs across 55 plate appearances before he was sent back down in late July when Trent Grisham returned from the injured list.

Now in his third stint — recalled in late July after Cody Bellinger went down with a hamstring strain — Jones has looked like the best version of himself yet.

He's up to five home runs and 13 RBI for the season, hitting .247 with a .333 on-base percentage and a .785 OPS. And on July 31 against the Cubs, he hit his first career home run off a left-handed pitcher, Shota Imanaga.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida