inside the yankees Why Spencer Jones has been waiting all season for the Yankees’ trip to San Diego By Greg Joyce Published Sep. 4, 2026, 6:20 a.m. ET Spencer Jones rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Angels on Sept. 1, 2026. Getty Images SAN DIEGO — Last winter, when he was still just a Triple-A slugger, Spencer Jones looked at the Yankees’ schedule and circled a series in September.
It was the one that starts on Friday against the Padres at Petco Park, the stadium where he grew up going to games as a kid.
“In my mind, it was a goal of mine to be on the roster for that series,” Jones, a native of nearby Encinitas, said Wednesday.
Except Jones is not just on the roster for the homecoming series, he arrives in it playing a key role for the Yankees, starting regularly in the outfield and pushing to stay there even once Aaron Judge returns from his monthslong injury absence as early as next week.
