George Lombard Jr. is going to the Bronx. The 21-year-old shortstop, the Yankees' No. 1 prospect and MLB's No. 20 overall per MLB Pipeline, is being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals at Yankee Stadium, a source told MLB.com, first reported by YES Network's Jack Curry.
The Yankees cleared room for both Lombard and newly acquired outfielder Heliot Ramos by optioning Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez and Angel Chivilli to Triple-A following Monday's 13-7 loss to St. Louis.
The shortstop logjam is over. Volpe, who struggled all season, heads back down. Lombard comes up.
The 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, Lombard was slashing .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 10 steals in 56 Triple-A games before a finger sprain cost him roughly a month from mid-June to mid-July.
His patience at the plate, 10 steals, strong walk rate, and elite defense are what evaluators praise most. His right-handed bat also gives New York lineup balance it has lacked all season.
He is 21 years old. He makes his debut Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.