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: Injures wrist at Triple-A
Rotowire
Lombard sustained an apparent left wrist injury and exited in the fifth inning of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 3-1 win over Columbus on Tuesday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Lombard doubled and walked in two plate appearances before checking out of the contest after he appeared to hurt his wrist while trying to tag a baserunner. Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn't have an update Wednesday when asked about Lombard's injury, so the 21-year-old prospect can be viewed as day-to-day for now. One of the top prospects in the upper levels of the minors, Lombard has slashed .231/.381/.385 with four home runs and eight steals in 42 games at Triple-A since being promoted from Double-A Somerset on April 29. Lombard has made starts at second base, third base and shortstop since arriving at Triple-A, giving him multiple pathways to playing time if the Yankees decide to call him up at some point later this season.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Moving up to Triple-A
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
