“It took Aaron Judge a little while to settle in” – Yankees sportscaster points major hurdle for Spencer Jones and fellow youngsters in Bronx

With Aaron Judge set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a rib injury, Yankees top prospect Spencer Jones was called up from the minors to replace him in the outfield.

He made his MLB debut on May 8, and performed at a decent level in his first two months at the top level, batting .233 with 2 home runs and 7 RBIs. However, he was still sent back down to the minor leagues on July 3.

On Thursday, WFAN’s Rickie Ricardo spoke about Jones‘ brief stint in the majors, pointing out why it is especially tough for him and other Yankees youngsters to “get a fair shot” to properly showcase their talent. In doing so, he also cited the example of a young Aaron Judge.

“We got a taste of Spencer Jones. Do you buy into it? It took Aaron Judge a little while to settle in and become Aaron Judge,” Ricardo said (Timestamp: 18:51). “But in today’s ‘Win now, we don’t have time, no patience type of world,’ this fanbase is not looking to watch guys develop and lose.

“It’s never been the aim of this organization to develop guys over time. So sometimes these prospects that get rushed up don’t really get a fair shot at showing what they’ve got or what they don’t have. It’s bring guys up, throw it up against the wall and see if it sticks, regardless of the hype they come up with.”

Aaron Boone commends Spencer Jones’ growth as a player

Speaking to reporters shortly after the Yankees announced their decision to option Spencer Jones to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, manager Aaron Boone commended the youngster’s growth.

“One of the things I told him, I’m like, you’re a better player now than you were in March,” Boone said, via SNY Yankees. “You’re a better player now certainly than you were last year.

“There’s also a lot of room still for him to continue to improve on both sides of the ball. He’ll go down and obviously play regularly down there… Feel like he’s gotten better as the seasons unfolded and I feel like more than held his own up here.”

Though returning to the minor leagues may feel like a step backward at the moment, Jones will be working hard on his craft to ensure he is ready to go when another opportunity to join up with the major league roster comes up.