Shortstop prospect George Lombard Jr. was the talk of the New York Yankees camp. The son of Detroit Tigers manager George Lombard is only 20 years old, but he looked out of place entering his first MLB spring training camp.
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On March 4, Lombard turned heads by getting Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet, the 2025 American League Cy Young Award runner-up, over the fence in his first at-bat in Florida.
But just eight days later, the Yankees reassigned Lombard to minor league camp on Thursday.
While not necessarily surprising, this move cleared the way for his veteran teammates to take over the shortstop spot on Opening Day.
Anthony Volpe is still recovering from a partially torn shoulder labrum that required surgery last year. The Yankees have veteran infielders Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario, who could end up at shortstop on Opening Day if Volpe isn’t ready.
Lombard posted a .740 OPS in 11 Grapefruit League games. But he also recorded 12 strikeouts in 27 at-bats and gave up just three hits to pitchers not named Garrett Crochet.
Lombard still seems like a cornerstone of the Bronx’s future, but he’ll head back to the minor leagues for now.
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