Yankees prospect Spencer Jones starting to show promise at plate

The sample size is still small, just as it was during his first stint as a big leaguer.But in his second go-around with the Yankees, Spencer Jones, who did not play in the Yankees’ 10-5 win over the White Sox on Wednesday night, is looking like he belongs while flashing the tools that have long made him a tantalizing prospect — and not just the power.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

With a runway for everyday at-bats in center field, as the Yankees try to hold the fort down without Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup, Jones is beginning to settle in and produce while using his first taste of the majors to his advantage.“Seeing a mature hitter up there,” Ben Rice, who came up through the minor leagues with Jones, said Wednesday.“Slow heartbeat, looking for his pitch and going up there with a plan and just trying to execute.”Take Tuesday’s win over the White Sox.

After homering to the second deck in his first at-bat, a bullet that came off the bat at 111.6 mph, Jones came to the plate again with the bases loaded and one out in the third inning of a game the Yankees led 3-1.It might have been human nature for Jones to just swing for the fences again and try to deliver a knockout punch to White Sox righty Davis Martin, who entered the game as one of the American League’s best pitchers to date.Instead, Jones worked a 3-2 count and then laid off a fastball just off the inside corner to take his walk, forcing in a run and keeping the line moving with his strong plate discipline.“Everyone wants to talk about the power, the speed, the size,” Rice said.

“But he has really sharpened that tool, especially over the last couple seasons.”The 6-foot-7 Jones is going to strike out, no matter how many adjustments he makes as he gets used to facing big league pitching.But if he can do so at a respectable clip while putting ...