Spencer Jones’ first week in the majors was eye-opening for the slugger who turned 25 on Thursday.
He made his MLB debut in Milwaukee on May 8, picked up his first hit in the big leagues two days later and on Friday appeared in his first Subway Series game, serving as the DH against the Mets.
And after going 1-for-12 in his first five games, Jones singled twice and had an RBI in a 5-2 win at Citi Field.
“I felt good about the at-bats [and had] a good plan,’’ Jones said.
There have been other signs of progress, as he walked in his last two plate appearances Wednesday and hit some balls hard.
Jones’ recent approach stood out to Aaron Boone.
“He has struggled this week, like a lot of our team has,” Boone said before Friday’s game. “I definitely think he’s been better than one hit and a couple walks.”
He reached in the fourth inning, when he drilled a 111-mph comebacker that hit Clay Holmes — which ended up fracturing Holmes’ right fibula — and followed that with a run-scoring single to right with two outs in the fifth to extend the Yankees’ lead to 4-0.
Jones was rattled by the news about Holmes’ injury, noting they work out together in the offseason in Nashville.
But Jones also showed that he wasn’t overwhelmed by playing in his first game in the Subway Series.
“It was awesome,’’ Jones said of the experience. “The crowd was energetic and super loud.”
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Jones is still trying to prove himself at this level after being a polarizing prospect for the Yankees, one with tremendous power coupled with way too many strikeouts.
Boone noted that he believed Jones has been fine at the plate as he finds his way after being called upon to fill in for the injured Jasson Domínguez.
“I feel if you watch his at-bats every day, they’ve been competitive,’’ Boone said. “He’s not chasing a lot. He’s been on some pitches and just missed a handful of pitches. I think he’s looked OK. He just hasn’t gotten results yet.”
Perhaps that’s beginning to change. As both Boone and Jones pointed out, the 6-foot-7 slugger had a rough entry into the big leagues, facing Milwaukee fireballing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski in his debut.
“That first day was eye-opening,’’ Jones said of going up against perhaps the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in MLB history. “To face a guy with one of the best fastballs in Major League Baseball the first time I got into the batter’s box was tough. I saw he was pitching and told myself, ‘Get ready for the fastball.’ ’’
Then he went up against sidearming lefty Kyle Harrison of the Brewers.
“Those first two draws were tough,’’ Boone said.
He hit two balls over 100 mph and picked up his first hit Sunday before a rough series in Baltimore.
“I’ve gotten a lot of reassurances,’’ Jones said.
And he’s trying to not change the way he’s played coming up through the Yankees system.
“The biggest thing for me is being comfortable in doing what I do and knowing that will translate,’’ said Jones, who’s soaking up as much as he can from veteran hitters like Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger.
“I’m picking the brain of these guys and just grateful for the opportunity,’’ Jones said. “And I’m learning that everybody here is really good and here for a reason.”
