The Yankees announced that have designated infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones for assignment and reinstated designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton from the injured list. Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported the moves on X prior to the official announcement.
Jones, 26, was claimed by the Yankees in February. Out of options, he has lasted on the roster through roughly two thirds of the season but didn’t get much playing time in his bench role. To this point, he has been sent to the plate 47 times while appearing in 33 contests. He hit .238/.304/.381 while striking out in 34% of his trips to the plate, lining up defensively at second base, third base and the outfield corners.
Throughout the year, the Yanks have welcomed DJ LeMahieu back from the IL and acquired Jazz Chisholm Jr., bolstering their position player mix and nudging Jones off the roster. They will now have just over 24 hours to explore trade talks but might end up putting Jones on waivers.
Jones may receive interest due to his previous prospect pedigree. He was a second-round pick of the Angels back in 2015 and subsequently got some top 100 love but he hasn’t really had much of a chance to prove himself at the major league level. The Angels added him to their 40-man roster in November of 2019 but Jones has only appeared in 69 MLB games over the past five seasons, bouncing to the Orioles, Brewers and Yankees.
But his work in the minors has continued to be impressive. Over the 2021 to 2023 seasons, he drew walks in 15.2% of his plate appearances, only striking out 21.8% of the time. He slashed a combined .254/.378/.441 in those seasons for a 114 wRC+. He also stole 25 bases in that time in 34 tries. He exhausted his final option year in 2023, which is why the Yankees haven’t been able to send him down this year.
Between his solid Triple-A offense, his past prospect pedigree and his defensive versatility, it’s possible that some club may give him a chance for the final few months of the season, likely a rebuilding club that has playing time to offer. He came into 2024 with less than a year of service time, meaning he can be retained for five seasons beyond this one if things click for him.
dasit
voted player most likely to ruin my sporcle score
itsmeheyhii
Every year I try to figure out who it will be and I definitely agree on this one haha.
solaris602
I doubt anyone claims Jones, so we can expect him to land in AAA soon.
whosehighpitch
Nice the RailRiders getting some reinforcements
pando8888
Wasn’t he batting leadoff a week ago vs the Mets!! Boone is a joke!
nwwh
Yep, I was at that game (Mets fan) and was like ‘who the heck is this guy?’
jerseyjohn
He hits lefties a bit. Boone isn’t a great manager but playing Jones against a lefty isn’t a bad move.
Stankee (lol)
And JD Clark cleanup
Stankee (lol)
JD Davis
Raysasineppswasplanted
Clark or Davis, it’s the same…
yanks2009
The cheerleader is gone!!
YankeesBleacherCreature
My first thought. Who’s gonna stand at the end of the dugout now after a homerun?
Yankee Clipper
Yeah, Cashman making obvious choices (way too late) while the LAD are getting the necessary personnel to win. He’s so far behind Friedman.
Liberalsteve
Yankees are the biggest fluke I have ever seen. Mid 80’s wins and a missed playoff spot. Not one of their pitchers wasn’t overperforming
Old York
Nice to see Stanton make his return to the majors. My second most favourite IL MLB player, next to Anthony Rendon. Part of the MLB IL All Star Team.
Perksy
Is Buxton on that roster?
Old York
@Perksy
Probably. We should compile a list of an MLB IL All Star Team.
DH: Stanton
3B: Rendon
CF: Buxton or Trout
Who else?
baseball_is_boring
Glasgow SP
Royce Lewis 1b
mlbnyyfan
IMO DJL should be released instead of Jones. At least Jones has value to pinch run. DJL time is over he’s no longer the same player.
AaronMar1981
You forgot to include Bryant from the Rockies
Raysasineppswasplanted
Cy Young deGrom
Reynaldo's
Surprised he even lasted this long into the season. Another prospect that hasn’t panned out from the Angels.
Viveleempireevil
Loved Jones. One of those “roster guys” who can play multiple roles and who provides tremendous espirit de corps. Just cannot afford the spot on the 40 man.
HatlessPete
Yeah I’ll miss the vibes but Chisholm plays such a similar mix of positions that he is clearly the odd man out here.
rocky7
Jones was a waste of 40 man roster……Cashman loves these “multiple role” guys who excel at only being able to have many gloves in their locker, bat .239, have little to no power, and basically take up too many 40 man roster spots without any impact player option he continually passes on….Cash has to go….Boone to follow…..
Acoss1331
DJ should also be a member of the IL All-star team. Yankees should cut him loose, he’s been cooked for a while….
rocky7
If Dombrowski was in charge, DJ would have been gone a long time ago and his replacement on the 40 man would be contributing right now….
mustache101
He will get claimed common sence…..
AaronMar1981
Welcome to the Tijuana Toros Jahmai Jones