Shortstop is by far the most important position on the infield. Having a capable fielder there brings peace of mind to the rest of the defense and, perhaps more importantly, to pitchers. The Yankees know this.
Shortstops on the team have had, overall, a solid defensive year, with Jose Caballero racking up 10 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) with just four errors and Anthony Volpe looking better post-surgery until he was sent to Triple-A a few days ago. The 2025 campaign, however, was a disaster, with the Yankees
tied for the third-most errors at the position with 21 and posting a subpar Outs Above Average (OAA) at -7. It was the start of Anthony Volpe’s defensive debacle, with the serious shoulder injury contributing to it.
Despite the solid 2026, the Yanks were looking to raise the ceiling. They wanted to give themselves a chance to enjoy the potential of a solid two-way shortstop who could contribute both with the glove and with his bat, not to mention his legs. That’s George Lombard Jr. in a nutshell: he is the definition of the word ‘upside.’
Lombard came up this week after half the league asked about him at the deadline. You could say, in a way, that this is the Yankees saying, “OK, everybody wanted you, so let’s see what you’ve got,” but in all fairness, the kid had been knocking on the majors’ door for a while. He was slashing a cool .268/.405/.440 (126 wRC+) in 56 Triple-A games, with six homers and 10 steals. We have all waited for him to put it all together as a hitter for some time. The defense, on the other hand, has been MLB-ready for months, probably even years.
Before Friday’s game, Lombard had only played 18 MLB innings. If you watched them all you, like us, have likely been thoroughly impressed by his sure hands, high IQ, fluidity, footwork, range, reflexes, instincts, arm strength and accuracy, and the confidence to execute all kinds of throws. The kid just makes plays on the field.
His excellent work with the glove is great not just for the overall team defense, but also allows pitchers to relax and do their thing, especially groundball specialists like Max Fried or Paul Blackburn. Again, Caballero is actually a very solid defender, and Volpe is much better than what he showed in 2025, but Lombard seems to be on another level.
Not that the numbers matter so much when the sample is just 18 innings, but the guy already has 2 DRS and 1 OAA. Regardless of the stats, you just know you’re looking at a special defensive player. And the Yankees certainly needed someone like that on the infield.
The league is in awe of the young Lombard, still getting familiar with his game. However, those who have been following him for a while and prospect specialists agree that he has had the potential to be an impactful fielder for years. MLB Pipeline, for example, had this to say about him:
“He’s a potential 25-25 guy with fluid actions, range to both sides, quick hands and solid arm strength at shortstop. A reliable defender who committed just seven errors in 111 starts there last season, he also played well in brief action at second and third base.”
Likewise, Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs had a glowing report about his defense in their review of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects in March:
“Defensively, Lombard is a powerful, explosive, tightly wound athlete who requires more visible effort to make plays in the hole than most shortstops with his projection, though he’s talented enough to do so. His footwork looks a little better going to his right, and his arm facilitates plays deep in the six hole. Lombard’s arm stroke is frequently longer and sometimes a little messier than most shortstops, and there are a couple of instances where his throws nearly pull the first baseman off of the bag. But for the most part, his throws are strong and accurate from a number of different platforms. We’re split on whether he’s going to be an above-average or a plus defender there, but either way, that’s really good.”
The Yankees have a 21-year-old shortstop who, at worst, will be an above-average defender at the position, and some say the word ‘plus.’ Just a handful of innings have given all of us a glimpse of that potential.
Nobody knows if Lombard will be the Yankees’ shortstop for two years or 15. The team, the manager, coaches, and fans, however, are witnessing the birth of an infield cornerstone, so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. A Yankees prospect hasn’t been this exciting in quite some time.
