The Atheltic | Chris Kirschner ($): This past December, Spencer Jones went on a sojourn. Determined to fix the holes in his swing that led to an astronomical K% in his minor league career, Jones and his swing coaches trekked to go see Richard Schenck, Aaron Judge’s personal swing coach. In spring training, Jones’ Ohtani-esque toe tap caught everyone’s eyes but if you ask the hulking slugger, his back leg is the key.
“The front leg is just a timing mechanism. For me, I was really out of sync and not on time a lot in past seasons. Part of that had to do with my leg and not being where it needed to be. I think the training I’ve been doing is focused more on the back leg alone. That’s what needs to be on time and in sync with the pitcher.”
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Since his call up on July 22nd, it might all be paying off in terms of making contact. Jones has just 15 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances (25.4 K%) since then, while in his first 30 games of 2026, he had 34 whiffs in 82 appearances (41.5%). Has he turned a corner? We shall see.
New York Post | Erich Richter: For Yankees fans of a certain vintage, we remember when Rob Refsnyder was the hope of the farm system. His tenure in New York was unremarkable but he went on to have a perfectly respectable major league career. Over 12 seasons, Refsnyder played with seven teams, serving as a lefty-killer with a .787 career OPS against portside slingers. Thursday, he chose to retire after being released by Seattle, though the Houston Astros were pursuing him.
Congratulations, Rob Refsnyder. You went on to bigger and better things than I think most Yankee fans expected after floundering in pinstripes.
NJ.com | Adam Zagoria: I think ESPN’s Karl Ravech has more faith in the Yankees than many Yankee fans do right now. On air Wednesday night, Ravech referred to the Yanks as “sleeping giants.” I will agree they are sleeping, so I’ll give Ravech that. David Ross, his fellow ESPNer, agrees with Ravech. For both, they are banking on the return of some big boppers… Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, and of course, Aaron Judge. Those returns and the attendant ripple effects in the lineup could resurrect a moribund offense. If the pitching keeps it up… lots of ifs and buts. I’ll stay guarded. I am not ready to get hurt again.
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SNY | Ben Krimmel: Jazz Chisholm Jr. is having a rough season. With free agency looming, he announced months ago his intent to join the 50-50 Club. With a quarter of the season remaining, he sits at 17 HR and 31 SB. Meanwhile, his OPS has plummeted while his advanced metrics like barrel percentage have likewise nosedived. Neither Chisholm nor manager Aaron Boone can pinpoint the problem. Chisholm, for his part, has his eyes fixed on what remains of the season. “Forty-one good games can turn a season around. And that’s what I’m planning on doing.” We’d all love to see it, I suspect. When Chisholm is on, he’s one of the more enjoyable players in the big leagues to watch.
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