What goes up normally comes back down, and for New York Yankees’ No. 3 prospect Spencer Jones, the descent back to Earth has been nothing short of a crash landing. For all of July, the 24-year-old centerfielder posted a scorching .419/.477/.946 stat line with 11 home runs, marking his first full month in Triple-A.

In late July, he dealt with back spasms, an issue that forced him to the IL for most of May, though his latest bout with this ailment kept him on the bench for just three games, from May 25-27. After a quick rest, returning on July 29, Jones quickly fell from grace.

Throughout August, Jones posted a measly .180/.250/.306 slash with three home runs, a steep drop in production from the previous month. This month, Jones has shown little momentum in returning to his brief, stellar form. Jones is hitting .214/.267/.429 so far in September. But that isn’t the half of it.

Last season, Jones set a Yankees minor-league record with 200 strikeouts. And on that front, not much has changed. Since Aug. 1, Jones has racked up 67 in 139 at-bats. Even worse, in September alone, he has bewilderingly struck out in 20 of his 28 at-bats. This gives him a total of 163 on the season.

The future of the Yankees?

Despite Jones’ unwatchable performance since the start of August, his stats on the year are still exceptional thanks to his scorching start to the summer. Jones owns a slash line of .272/.360/.574 with 33 home runs, all career highs for a full season. More importantly, during his MVP-level stretch, Jones validated his high ceiling. 

Jones has long been touted for his immense strength, even being dubbed the “left-handed Aaron Judge,” which carries significant weight. But this summer marked the first time we’ve seen him perform at his full potential. Now, the question is no longer about whether Jones can perform at a high-level, but rather if he can do it consistently.

Labeling any prospect as “the future of the Yankees” is a slippery slope. There have been numerous players that carried such expectations. Yankee fans that have followed the team for at least a decade can remember a time when Deivi Garcia, Justus Sheffield, Chance Adams and Gary Sanchez among others were considered the Yankees’ future. Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez have also carried these expectations and are currently getting their shot.

As for Jones, the talent is clearly there. If he can find his form, his bat could be a massive advantage for the Yankees in their left-handed, pull-hitter-friendly environment, even with the high strikeout rate. But whether he grows into his “left-handed Aaron Judge” moniker or falls into the bin of forgotten former Yankees top prospects, this is something we will only know in time.