THE Yankees protected a trio of top prospects in Tuesday’s Rule 5 Draft, officially adding outfielder Spencer Jones and right-handed Chase Hampton And Elmer Rodriguez to the 40-man roster.
All major league clubs had until Tuesday’s deadline at 6 p.m. ET to establish their rosters, and Jones was one of five prospects inside. MLB Pipeline Top 100 Rankings who would have been exposed to the recruitment process and eligible for poaching.
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New York’s decisions were obvious, as Jones (No. 4), Hampton (No. 8) and Rodríguez (No. 3) are consensus Top 10 prospects in the organization. Their big league debut is expected to take place between the 2026 and 2027 seasons, according to MLB Pipeline.
As one of the best hitters in the minor leagues in 2025, Jones slashed .274/.362/.571 (403 at-bats) with 35 homers, 23 doubles, 80 RBIs, 102 runs and 29 stolen bases in 116 combined games with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 25-year-old also ranked second among all qualified minor leaguers in home runs and fifth in punchouts.
Hampton, who underwent Tommy John surgery in February and missed the entire 2025 campaign, produced a 3.45 ERA with 161 strikeouts in 125.1 innings (27 starts) across three different levels, reaching Double-A in 2023 and 2024. The 24-year-old was a sixth-round pick in 2022.
Rodríguez, named the Yankees’ best minor league player by Baseball America this season, produced a 2.58 ERA with 176 strikeouts in 27 appearances (26 starts) between Triple-A, Double-A and High-A Hudson Valley. The 22-year-old’s strikeout mark ranks second among all minor league pitchers.
