Is it time for the Yankees to call up George Lombard?
The New York Yankees have stayed afloat in the time since Aaron Judge went down with his rib injury. Most of their wins in the past two months have been on the backs of incredible pitching from their starters and bullpen. But at some point this lineup has to start scoring runs on a consistent basis. With the injuries to Judge, Stanton, Bellinger and the inconsistency of Ben Rice, Goldschmidt, and Grisham, the Bronx bombers could desperately use a spark boost in their offense, and he may be patiently waiting in AAA.
George Lombard Jr is a 21 year old shortstop the Yankees drafted 26th overall in the 2023 MLB draft out of Gulliver Prep. He was drafted with a bit more potential upside than Anthony Volpe who has struggled in his time in the big leagues. Lombard is a true 5 tool player with defensive skills that match his bat as well. He most recently ripped off a 16 game hitting streak in AAA, hitting .440 with a 1.476 OPS in that span.
Of course we have to see if he remains on the roster following the August 3rd trade deadline. But the Yankees have made it pretty clear thus far that Lombard is someone they will avoid trading at all costs. Now if he does get called up this season Yankee fans are going to have big expectations, but don't expect immediate impact. Part of the reason Volpe's time as the fan proclaimed "future shortstop" was short is because he was immediately expected to be the next Jeter.
George Lombard will most likely not be the next Derek Jeter, but he is the first George Lombard Jr, and with the lackluster performances from Volpe and Jose Caballero, I for one am hoping we at least get a glimpse at George Lombard in the bigs at some point this season.
