Yankees' George Lombard: Smacks homer in MLB debut
Rotowire
Lombard went 1-for-2 with a solo home run during the Yankees' 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Lombard, the Yankees' top prospect, was called up to make his major-league debut Tuesday, starting at shortstop and batting eighth. He made an immediate impact defensively with a nice play in the second frame that led to a 6-4-3 double play, and he topped that in the fifth offensively with his first major-league home run. With Anthony Volpe now with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Lombard is lined up to serve as the Yankees' primary shortstop for the rest of the regular season, with Jose Caballero also in the mix for reps.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Batting eighth in MLB debut
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The Yankees selected Lombard's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.
Lombard is starting at shortstop and batting eighth in his major-league debut Tuesday versus the Cardinals. The 20-year-old slashed .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases across 262 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since he was promoted from Double-A Somerset. Lombard is in line to serve as the Yankees' primary shortstop down the stretch.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Headed to big leagues
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The Yankees will call up Lombard from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.
The top prospect in the Yankees' farm system, Lombard will be headed to the majors while the big club makes some significant changes to the roster following Monday's 13-7 loss. In order to clear a spot for Lombard, the Yankees will option four players to the minors, including shortstop Anthony Volpe and outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The 20-year-old Lombard earned the call to the big leagues after slashing .268/.405/.440 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases across 262 plate appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since being elevated from Double-A Somerset on April 29. Lombard is likely to settle in as New York's everyday shortstop while Jose Caballero shifts into more of a utility role.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Back from IL at Triple-A
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Lombard (finger) was activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Lombard played in a pair of rehab games in the Florida Complex League this week, and he's now back with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after going down with a finger injury June 16. In 42 games at Triple-A this season, Lombard has slashed .231/.381/.385 with four homers, 15 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a 35:42 BB:K across 197 plate appearances.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Resumes hitting and fielding
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Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Lombard (finger) has resumed hitting and fielding and is close to a return, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The Yankees' top prospect, Lombard remains on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but is seemingly closing in on a return. In 42 games at Triple-A this season, Lombard has slashed .231/.381/.385 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 30 runs scored, eight stolen bases and a 35:42 BB:K across 197 plate appearances. He'll be a candidate to make his major-league debut at some point this summer.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Lands on Triple-A IL
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Lombard was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday with sprained fingers on his left hand, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Lombard injured his hand while trying to tag a baserunner during Tuesday's game against Columbus. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday of Lombard that there were "good initial signs on the testing," but it's unclear how much time the top prospect will miss. Lombard began the season at Double-A Somerset and has slashed .231/.381/.385 with four home runs, eight stolen bases and a 35:42 BB:K in 42 games since being promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Moving up to Triple-A
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The Yankees are promoting Lombard from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilke-Barre, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Lombard got off to a blazing beginning at the plate with Somerset, slashing .324/.414/.595 with four home runs, eight doubles, 18 runs, 10 RBI and four stolen bases over 19 contests. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said during the winter that Lombard is already MLB-ready in terms of his defense, and the 2023 first-round draft pick is now one step away from reaching the majors despite not yet turning 21 years of age. Lombard could get his first taste of big-league ball at some point this season if he continues to perform well at Triple-A.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Not overmatched at Double-A
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Lombard is slashing .215/.336/.362 with eight home runs, 22 steals, a 13.5 percent walk rate and a 26 percent strikeout rate in 102 games for Double-A Somerset.
The third-youngest qualified hitter at Double-A (behind Sebastian Walcott and Nelson Rada), Lombard makes for a tough evaluation, as his youth can generally be used to explain away his shortcomings. He is a career .236 hitter with a career .359 OBP, and he's managed 14 home runs in 250 career games while always being one of the youngest players in his league. Getting the ball in the air isn't a problem for Lombard, and his 39 percent groundball rate and 44.9 percent pull rate are encouraging marks. The passage of time could lead to Lombard naturally accessing significantly more power in a year or two as his body matures, and he's a no-doubt shortstop with above-average speed and on-base ability. The righty-hitting Lombard could get another aggressive assignment to Triple-A next year before turning 21 in June.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Finding groove at Single-A
Rotowire
Lombard is slashing .271/.364/.500 with four home runs and 11 steals over his last 25 games for Single-A Tampa.
He hit .225 with zero home runs over his first 46 games this season and was a bit too passive, but something has clicked of late for the toolsy shortstop. Lombard, the Yankees' first-round pick in 2023, is a plus runner and excellent overall athlete, so if he can continue to get to his above-average raw power in games, he should keep climbing up prospect rankings.
