The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones off waivers from the Brewers, who’d recently designated him for assignment. Fellow infielder Jordan Groshans has been designated for assignment in order to clear space on the 40-man roster.
A second-round pick by the Angels back in 2015, Jones is a former top-100 prospect who’s struggled in a trio of brief looks at the MLB level between Anaheim, Baltimore and Milwaukee. He’s taken just 90 turns at the plate in the big leagues and produced a .179/.233/.226 line with a dismal 36.7% strikeout rate.
The 26-year-old Jones is a more accomplished minor league hitter, however — as evidenced by a career .251/.377/.436 slash. He’s posted a far more manageable 21.9% strikeout rate at that level while also walking in a huge 15.4% of his 857 plate appearances. Jones has connected on 25 homers, swiped 25 bags and added 42 doubles and seven triples during his time in Triple-A. He’s a right-handed hitter who, in addition to more than 3400 career innings at second base, has logged nearly 1700 innings in center and more than 500 in left field.
Whether Jones sticks on the big league roster in New York is a fair question. He’s out of minor league options, meaning he can’t be sent to Triple-A Scranton without first passing through waivers. The Yanks could carry Jones on the bench in place of Oswald Peraza or Oswaldo Cabrera, opting to get either (likely Peraza) everyday playing time in the minors with a regular role not currently available on the big league roster. Alternatively, the Yankees might simply hope to turn around and pass Jones through waivers themselves, which would allow them to keep him on the Scranton roster as a depth piece who no longer commands a 40-man roster spot.
That same fate could await the 24-year-old Groshans. Like Jones, he’s a former top-100 prospect whose stock has dimmed in recent years. Groshans has just 65 MLB plate appearances and a .262/.308/.312 slash to show for it. His .253/.350/.322 output in 940 Triple-A plate appearances isn’t much better. He’s primarily played on the left side of the infield, splitting time in near even fashion between shortstop and third base, but Groshans does have more limited experience at second base (76 innings) and first base (396 innings) as well.
Groshans does have a minor league option year remaining, which could make him appealing to another club via waiver claim or minor trade. The Yankees will have a week to find a trade partner or complete the process of passing him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, Groshans could be assigned outright to Triple-A and retained as a non-roster depth option. He lacks the major league service time and prior outright assignment to reject an outright from New York.
I don’t get this one. Jones is out of options while Groshans isn’t.
Don’t worry. The Yankees are claiming every other infielder that pops up. My guess is Jones won’t be the last.
Well Groshans just doesn’t seem to be very good frankly. And Jones had a big boost in BB last season, indicating he’s evolving as a player.
In instances like Jones’ where both his K rate and BB rate are both high I tend to think the issue is probably more a result of being too selective at the plate and getting into a lot of deep counts as opposed to any sort of quantifiable true talent ability. I haven’t seen him play much so I can’t say if that is really the issue, just a guess.
Well the profile changed even more last year. He had nearly a 900 ops. At this point I tend to think it’s just a matter of playing time in MLB and getting the guy to feel comfortable at he MLB level-like he belongs. Many players simply hit a mental block when they get to the big leagues. It’s intimidating to them. People always tell me “they are professional athletes so they are confident already”.
Exactly. Jones seems to be on paper the type of player a rebuilding team would give a long rope to and hope he figures it out in MLB. There has to be something about him that is not getting reported. A former top 100 MI prospect who can handle CF that has a 251/.377/.436 slash line in the minors should get more than 90 ABs to figure it out before getting cut loose. He obviously has a noodle arm seeing as he has no SS or RF innings but that shouldn’t mean anything. We are talking about a similar slash line to Rob Refsnyder afterall.
I suspect it’s an opportunity to try to run Groshans thru waivers. If he’s claimed then they have a similar player in Jones. Neither figures to be on the MLB roster out of ST.
They really don’t appear similar to me. Groshans is coming off 2 straight sub-700 ops years and Jones had a career year last season. Seems like they are cutting bait. I’m sure they would like to keep him tho.
@rishi agreed. Also Jones is more versatile. He played both corner outfield spots along with 2b last year. Better player with more versatility is more valuable than groshans option.
Jones is what he is at 26. Groshans is only 22. Both are underachievers regarding their original prospect status. Groshans is a good AAA store if you can get him through waivers.
Groshans is 24
SW
“Jones is what he is at 26.”
Right!
Because no players ever change after the age of 26.,
.377 OBP
I know it’s not to the story but Tim Wakefield’s wife passed. RIP and prayers to the children
Terrible news Dewey.
since we are just saying whatever here
Some [donkey] broadcasting the Phillies and Braves just said that if he saw a player with his foot on the base he would slide in feet first to give him a calf full of nails – “not to be dirty”
My [butt] not being dirty.
Surprised that turd-covered scumbag, Curt Schilling didn’t break the news.
Both Parents. Yikes.
Their son is only 19-20 and their daughter 18-19 depending on birthdates. Tough for the kids. Lost my wife a few years back when my 3 kids were 24-27 at the time. Was tough enough on them to lose their mom but would have been way tougher to lose both parents that many years younger.
Exactly. Lost my dad at 23 but Mom was a rock who became both parents. Prayers to both and the entire Wakefield family.
Man that’s rough. Wakefield was the only Red Sox player I could stand for a few years. Seemed to hold onto a roster spot by his fingernails through the spring. Then partway through the season he would find another gear and put together another solid season. Wish MLB had more knuckleballers. They make every AB interesting and fun to watch. I didn’t realize he passed and now his wife too. Some families seem to be destinations for bad news. At least the kids have each other and are not only children. I couldn’t imagine still being a teen, lose both parents and not have a sibling to lean on.
This could be a signal that either Peraza or Cabrera is heading back to AAA. They both have options remaining and Jones doesn’t. I guess we’ll see soon enough.
Could also just be insurance in case of injuries where he’s considered a better option than Groshans. Barring injuries, he’ll most likely be released when the club flies north.
NYay loves guys that hit below the Mendoza line. Can’t wait to see who replaces all the injured Yankees this year. 2023 was hilarious. Everyday players hitting .132 lmao
You should drop the 8 from your name.
You should increase your iQ. Obviously a sad Yankee fan.
I thought our minor league strength was infield. Maybe the GM’s have a pool on who can make the most offseason transactions. In that case… WINNING!
I always wondered how Jones would fare with an extended look. Jorbit Vivas looks like a solid player as well. Backup IF looks like a strength for the Yankees.
The Yankees have an entire infield of gold glove, all-star,mvp, caliber fielders. But with the exception of Torres (.279) NONE OF THEM HIT OT PLAYED THE WHOLE SEASON OR BOTH! So a minor league system filled with decent or even great defenders who ALSO CANT HIT AT THE ML LEVEL it’s just plain silliness.
Volpe didn’t set the world on fire but I’d take him. The guy definitely has skills and did not play badly by any means.
And Peraza and Vivas are so young how can you know how they’ll pan out yet.
Volpe is a great SS. Just can’t hit .225 yet. He might. The rest are .150-.170 hitters. Not everyone can hit at the ML level. But the Yankees have about 37 guys the sure hope might possibly maybe hit lmao
Seems like a waste of a move. Is AA low on infielders for the Yanks?
I’d prefer to see how the team utilizes their newest protocols before insisting that these moves will be failures.
Picking up a failed Prospect from the Angels is never a good look. But, but…he’s great athlete!
A great athlete can sometimes bloom with a change of scenery. This is why teams will claim players like this. Can always DFA them if they do not blossom and need the 40 man spot.
The athlete comment was more of a swipe at
Billy Eppler’s draft philosophy.
Besides the change of scenery potential, Jam is still 26. He just needs to relax and trust in himself.
MCH
“Picking up a failed Prospect from the Angels is never a good look. But, but…he’s great athlete!”
Right! Because if the Angels can’t get the best out of you no one can.
In defense of the Angels, his minor league numbers were much better when in thier system than his last 2 stops.
The pedigree is hard to ignore. His dad and one brother played in the NFL. Another brother is playing in a football league I haven’t heard of.
He’s very fast, but not very big. So football was not a choice for him and here he is
Groshans back to the Marlins?
This does not make any sense to me, but then again, there may be information we are not privy to. Groshans seemed like a good depth piece that could play 1B and 3B and had minor league options, while the guy replacing him does not have options.
I hear the BlueJays have need for a MLB level 3rd baseman. Ross Atkins calling….
Its sad that Groshans never gets a chance but a guy like Victor Robles can underperform for years and still get playing time because of his prospect pedigree
Newsflash either one of these guys are ever going to be productive in MLB they are career AAA players. Don’t mean to be mean or cruel, but it is what it is.
Truth hurts.