Yankees prospect Spencer Jones has a debut as big as Aaron Judge's 

LAKELAND, Fla. — Even before the Yankees made him their first-round pick in the 2022 draft, Spencer Jones heard the comparisons to Aaron Judge.

Being a similar-sized outfielder —  Jones is 6-6, 235 pounds — will do that, as not many compare to Judge’s 6-7, 282-pound frame.

Aside from size, their games vary greatly. Jones, for instance, is faster, swiping a combined 43 bases last season between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset.

Jones, however, now has this in common with Judge: Each homered in his first at-bat of his first spring training with the big-league club.

Judge, then 22, did it on March 3, 2015, in Clearwater in the Yankees' Grapefruit League opener. Pinch hitting for Chris Young in the ninth inning with the Yankees down to their last strike (the count was full), Judge hit a tying three-run homer off Phillies lefthander Mario Hollands.

On Saturday, in the Yankees’ first exhibition game, the lefthanded-hitting Jones, 22, crushed one an estimated 470 feet to rightfield off Tigers righthander Mason Englert on a 3-and-1 slider in the fifth inning.

“Jaw-dropping,” Anthony Volpe said of the shot by Jones, who finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

“It was cool,” the amiable but relatively quiet Jones said. “It was fun to be on the field again, first game since last season. Felt good. Had fun.”

Told that Judge also homered in his first career at-bat as a spring training invitee, Jones smiled and said: “Pretty cool.”

Jones’ blast was one of four homers hit by the Yankees on a day that included a combined 24 hits, 23 walks and nine hit batsmen. The wind gusted to right throughout the 3-hour 47-minute marathon at Publix Field, which typically is a hitter’s paradise.

New reserve outfielder Trent Grisham, the “other” outfielder in the December blockbuster trade that brought Juan Soto to the Yankees, also homered, as did Luis Torrens and Jorbit Vivas.

Urshela tempted by Yankees

Gio Urshela, who signed with the Tigers this past week, told Newsday before Saturday’s game that he had four teams interested in him, including the Yankees, a team he played for from 2019-21. Ultimately, the Yankees, who plan to have DJ LeMahieu as their everyday third baseman, were offering a reserve role, whereas Urshela will get a chance to start with Detroit.

Before Saturday’s game, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said he heard, “unsolicited,” from a cross-section of “over 15” people in the game after Detroit signed Urshela, a popular figure among his teammates while with the Yankees who was especially close to Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino.

Hinch said one of the first to reach out to him was Aaron Boone, who managed Urshela before the Yankees traded him and Sanchez to the Twins during spring training of 2022 for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt.

“Nothing but positive feedback,” Hinch said. “Everything from the consistency in his routine . . . His teammates rave about how well he’s beloved. A few of his ex-managers [said] you could ask him to do anything.”

Gil OK

Righthander Luis Gil, who the Yankees hope can provide rotation depth this season, allowed two runs, one hit and two walks in two innings in Saturday’s start. Gil, 25, entered camp with high expectations (from the Yankees’ standpoint) accompanied by question marks. He has not pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2022.

“All in all, a good day,” Boone said of Gil, who threw 41 pitches, 23 of them for strikes.