[7] Jones was a good pitching prospect, throwing faster than 90 miles per hour from the mound,[6] but he preferred playing every day.

In 2005, the Mariners, with Yuniesky Betancourt starting at shortstop in the majors, asked Jones to switch to center field, and he agreed, first playing the position regularly with the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League.

[8] As a prospect, Baseball America consistently rated Jones as one of the best athletes and having the best throwing arm in the Mariners' minor league system.

[10] He replaced corner outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, whose attempt to fill in for injured center fielder Jeremy Reed was unsuccessful.

[12][13] After going hitless in his first 12 at bats, he got his first major league hit on July 18 when he singled off Sidney Ponson in a loss to the New York Yankees.

[14] Jones hit his first home run in the majors off Adam Eaton in an 8–2 loss to the Texas Rangers on August 10.

[15][16] On August 3, 2007, Jones returned to MLB for the first time that season, starting in right field against the Boston Red Sox.

[17] In two partial seasons with the Mariners, Jones played in 73 games, batting .230 with 3 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases.

Jones was much more productive with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, leading or co-leading the team in home runs, RBI, and triples in both 2006 and 2007.

[20] On July 28, Jones became the second player ever to hit a triple and a grand slam in the same game as a visitor to Yankee Stadium, following Pat Seerey in 1945.

In the game, he drove in Curtis Granderson on a sacrifice fly for the winning run in the American League's 4–3 victory.

[24] The second half was not as kind to Jones though, and on September 1, he sprained his left ankle while running the bases, missing the rest of the 2009 season.

[4] He won his second Gold Glove award and finished sixth in AL Most Valuable Player voting, the highest rank of his career.

In the American League Wild Card Game, Jones hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run in the Orioles' 5–1 win over the Rangers.

[52][22] He was originally chosen as a reserve but started the exhibition due to an injury to Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon.

On July 30, Jones hit the 182nd home run of his Orioles career, which tied him for seventh on the team's all-time list with Ken Singleton.

Jones won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, chosen by other MLB players as someone "whose leadership most inspires others to higher levels of achievement.

On July 8, Jones passed Brady Anderson for sole possession of sixth place on the Orioles all-time home run list with 210.

[70] During the second game of the season, Jones hit his 223rd career home run as an Oriole, tying him for fifth all-time in franchise history with Rafael Palmeiro.

[75] On May 3, Jones was ejected for the first time in his career by home plate umpire Sam Holbrook for arguing balls and strikes.

[76] On May 10, Jones recorded his 745th career RBI as an Oriole, surpassing Brady Anderson for sixth most all-time in franchise history.

[79] On September 1, Jones was ejected in the first inning of a game against the Blue Jays, after expressing his displeasure with a strike call.

[87] Despite a drop in his power numbers, Jones put up a solid .281/.313/.419 slash line with 15 home runs, the first time he failed to reach 20 since 2010, as well as 63 RBI, 35 doubles and seven steals in 145 games.

[91] On December 10, 2019, Jones signed with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball on a two-year contract worth $8 million.

[98] Jones played in all six games for the U.S. in the 2013 WBC, batting .182 with one double and 4 RBI as the United States lost in the second round.

[101] In the second round, in a game against the Dominican Republic, Jones made a home-run-saving catch[102] that helped propel the U.S. to the semifinals.

Jones also hit a game-tying solo home run against Venezuela in the eighth inning of a Pool F game, sparking a rally that led to a 4–2 victory.

[5] Jones is a season ticket holder for the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League and has served as an off-ice official for the team, primarily in the penalty box.

[114] While playing in Japan, Jones started a podcast called Heckle Deez with brother-in-law Reginald Fugett.

[115][116] Jones co-hosts the podcast with Baltimore radio personality Jerry Coleman, with Fugett appearing as a moderator of debates between the two.