CALL FOR BACK UP
Jones, Smith in mix for reserve IF spot
TAMPA — The Yankees have one unfilled infield position, and a late-camp injury to DJ LeMahieu — whose X-rays were negative after fouling a ball off his foot Saturday — could open another, if LeMahieu doesn’t recover in time.
Which means players such as Kevin Smith and Jahmai Jones could matter this season.
Both are part of a backup competition that also includes 40-man roster member Jorbit Vivas and perhaps Jeter Downs, though Downs already has been reassigned to minor league camp. The frontrunner for the backup infield spot had been Oswald Peraza before the prospect hurt his shoulder and was shut down from throwing.
Behind Anthony Volpe at shortstop could be Oswaldo Cabrera, although Cabrera might have to patrol all over the field. The Yankees need a second flexible infielder who might need to be able to play shortstop and definitely will need to be capable at second and third base.
Smith, who booted a ball at shortstop Sunday but has been solid defensively at all three spots, could grab that spot.
“I keep that out of my focus. I just show up every day and try to get better,” said Smith, a non-roster invitee who debuted with the Blue Jays in 2021 and played with the A’s the past two seasons. “Just trying to learn the guys and work as hard as I can and do stuff to improve ahead of this season. Trying to make myself as valuable to the team as I can.”
If the 27-year-old claims the job, the Yankees could feature an all-New York shortstop group.
Volpe, a Manhattan-born, New Jersey-raised Yankees fan growing up, could be backed up by an East Greenbush native who was brought up a Yankees fan.
“I was a Jeter guy, Yankee guy; pretty much grew up during like the Red SoxYankees era,” said Smith, who tripled Sunday in a 12-6 loss to the Red Sox at JetBlue Park and bumped his spring OPS to .666. “So it was awesome seeing those teams. I was only three hours from Boston and two and a half from New York. So our whole neighborhood was just split down the middle.”
If Jones wins the job, the Yankees would be adding an athlete with an impressive pedigree. His father, Andre, was a linebacker who played at Notre Dame and briefly for the Lions. His brother, T.J., spent four years as a Lions receiver and last played in the NFL for three games with the Giants in 2019.
Jones, a Georgia native who was a high school star in both sports, talked with his family around his junior year of high school about picking a path and decided to give up football.
“I wanted to make my own path and be my own person,” said Jones, who had been a receiver and is listed as 6 feet, 210 pounds. “I felt like I was just going to follow truly what I love to do.
And baseball just happened to be there and happened to kind of fill those voids that I felt like I was missing a little bit with football.”
He is a quick and strong athlete who has bounced around as a prospect, debuting for the Angels in 2020, played for the Orioles in 2021 and was a minor league Dodger last season before signing with the Brewers and getting in seven major league games in 2023.
Jones can play the outfield, too, and is comfortable at second and third, but he is not a shortstop. The 26-year-old is having a nice spring with an .804 OPS in Grapefruit League play.
“I’m working for a spot on the team, so wherever that role is,” Jones said. “I’m trying not to look too far ahead. … Just trying to work my butt off and whenever the chips fall, they fall.”
It is also possible that no one in camp wins the job. The Yankees will be watching as other infielders fall off opposing rosters.
“Feel like we have people we can rely on here,” GM Brian Cashman said Saturday, “but any spring, we’ll always look external, too.”