All season, the daily narrative around the New York Yankees has been dominated by debates over who should start at shortstop: Anthony Volpe or José Caballero? Now, with Monday's trade deadline in the rearview, the club may have found a solution.
Late Monday night, the Yankees promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr. to the majors, a league source told The Athletic. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the roster move was not yet official.
To make room for Lombard, the Yankees demoted Volpe, who was once considered the next Derek Jeter — a homegrown shortstop with immense talent who grew up obsessed with the Yankees.
Instead, Volpe's star has fallen to Triple A, where he'll work to turn around an up-and-down career since winning a Gold Glove Award as a rookie in 2023. The Yankees also sent down outfielder Jasson DomÃnguez — another former top prospect who has underwhelmed of late — and reliever Angel Chivilli.
The moves came after the St. Louis Cardinals pummeled the Yankees 13-7 at Yankee Stadium.
New York is also expected to add to the active roster outfielder Heliot Ramos, whom it acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Monday before the trade deadline.
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Caballero will likely shift to a utility role that could include platooning at second base, third base and in the corner outfield positions.
At just 21 years old, Lombard will become the fifth-youngest Yankee to make his MLB debut when he takes the field Tuesday against the Cardinals. Only Mickey Mantle, José Rijo, Jasson DomÃnguez and Stan Javier were younger than Lombard when they broke into the majors.
“Defensively, he's plug-and-play-ready to go,†Brian Cashman said of George Lombard Jr. The Yankees also like his offense. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
Lombard was ranked No. 6 overall by The Athletic's Keith Law in his most recent assessment of the game's top 75 prospects. Lombard's rise has been steady since the Yankees drafted him in the first round out of high school in Miami in 2023.
The Yankees have been so high on Lombard that general manager Brian Cashman implied Monday that he refused to include him in trade talks with the Detroit Tigers for back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline.
“They did have some asks our way that we were unwilling to do,†Cashman said. “But it was a very specific ask and a certain player — and a player we weren't willing to play with in that arena despite Tarik Skubal, despite how good of a pitcher he is.â€
The Yankees will count on Lombard to provide stability at shortstop, especially defensively, though he's capable of playing all over the infield. He's widely viewed as the best infield defender in the organization.
“Defensively, he's plug-and-play-ready to go,†Cashman said in early July.
“He walks around like he's got, like, a vacuum on his hand,†said outfielder Spencer Jones, who played with Lombard this season at Triple A. “That's kind of how I see it. Anytime a ball is hit to him, he's got a good feeling about it. He's got a good release. Throws it hard, too. It's fun to watch.â€
Lombard has a reputation as a young leader in the clubhouse.
“A lot of it is based on his actions,†Jones said. “He goes about his business and treats every (workout) with the effort he would have during the game. I don't think the game speeds up on him too much. He's one of those guys who has a good head on his shoulders. It's just a matter of experience.â€
There's reason to believe Lombard could be impactful offensively, too.
With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, Lombard showed encouraging plate discipline despite being one of the youngest players in the highest level of the minors. In 56 games for the RailRiders this season, Lombard posted an .845 OPS.
“I think he's improved a lot offensively this year as a hitter,†manager Aaron Boone said last month. “He keeps getting better and better. The one thing he does is control the zone and has some power.
“He brings a lot of things to the table: good speed, outstanding defense, power and the ability to control the zone. But I feel like his hit-ability improved this year quite a bit from last year to this year.â€
Caballero has said he enjoys playing shortstop every day, and he started there the last two games for the Yankees. He also has been one of the best defenders in the game at the position, according to some advanced metrics. But Caballero's value comes in his ability to cover multiple defensive positions well, grit and speed on the bases.
Caballero and Lombard grew close during spring training this season, with Caballero praising the youngster's competitiveness. Lombard is also close with left fielder Cody Bellinger, whom he met when his father, George Lombard Sr., was a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Got baseball in his blood,†Bellinger said. “I saw it from a young age.â€
Now, Yankees fans will see it up close in the Bronx.
