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: Cut from major-league camp
Rotowire
The Yankees reassigned Lombard to minor-league camp Thursday.
Lombard trailed off the last few Grapefruit League games at the plate after a hot start, finishing with a .740 OPS, one home run and two stolen bases. He impressed the Yankees both offensively and defensively but still needs some seasoning in the minors before being considered a real option for the big club.
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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.
