Andres Chavez
The New York Yankees have a future star in shortstop George Lombard Jr. The former first-rounder enjoyed a nice spring training and is coming off a successful 2025 campaign in the minor leagues, in which he had successful stints in High-A and Double-A.
On Monday, the Yankees revealed the Somerset Patriots (Double-A) break camp roster, and Lombard is on it as one of the infielders alongside Owen Cobb, Tyler Hardman, Marco Luciano, and Coby Morales.
Some thought the Yankees would be aggressive and assign Lombard to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, but they are going the conservative route and letting him show, for at least a few weeks, that he can do more than just hold his own against Double-A competition.
An Impressive 2025
Lombard opened the 2025 campaign in High-A Hudson Valley, and quickly earned a promotion after hitting a fantastic .329/.495/.488 in 111 plate appearances. That was good for a stellar 194 wRC+.
Lombard was too talented for High-A pitching, so the Yankees decided to challenge him with a promotion to Double-A. It was the first taste of the upper minors for the talented shortstop, and it’s safe to say it required an adjustment period.
His final line was .215/.337/.358 with eight home runs, 24 stolen bases, and a 111 wRC+. He was an above-average hitter in Somerset, but it took some time for him to figure out the new level. From May 6 to July 9, he posted a 97 wRC+ with the Patriots, but the number increased to 126 from July 10 until the end of the season.
The Yankees hope Lombard can experience a similar path this year. They would love to see him tear Double-A pitching for a few weeks like he did last year in High-A, potentially earning a promotion to Triple-A Scranton after a month or two. That’s the hope, at least.
Lombard Has An Outside Chance Of Making Yankees Debut This Year
If he does that, he has an outside chance at making his MLB debut at some point late in the year. The most likely scenario remains 2027, though. That’s when he will, in all likelihood, be MLB-ready offensively speaking. Defensively, he is ready for The Show right now.
Scouts see a player who, at peak, could run incredibly high OBPs with 15-homer power and the potential to steal 40+ bases. Add incredible defense to the equation, and you have an All-Star-caliber shortstop.
Before talking about what kind of player he can be, the focus should be on acing this Double-A assignment. He has the talent to pull it off, even though he has been closer to average in the last two spring trainings, with an 89 wRC+ in the Grapefruit League in both 2025 and 2026.
The sky is the limit for Lombard, but the Yankees want to go step by step. They are making sure not to make any mistakes in his development.
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