Most of the time, you can’t tell when a new era of Yankees baseball begins. We sure as hell didn’t expect Aaron Judge’s debut 10 years ago this month would perfectly segue from the last remnant of the 2000s Yankees retiring (Alex Rodríguez) to the next Yankee great, but it’s fair to say it was a pleasant surprise.
In a perfect world for Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, and the Yankees, a new era can unofficially begin tonight, as the prodigal son Yankees’ top prospect George Lombard Jr. will make his major
league debut at Yankee Stadium a day after a rather disappointing deadline opened the door for improvements in the infield.
Looking to get the rotation back on track after Cam Schlittler’s rough outing last night is Ryan Weathers, who will be making a career-high 22nd start of the season. Already blowing past his career high in innings, Weathers enters with a 3.99 ERA (105 ERA+) and a 3.77 FIP in 115 innings and is officially in audition mode as the return of Carlos Rodón from injury draws nearer. He’s allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, finding a way to mix his pitches and keep the ball in the park better than his slog before the all-star break.
On the other end is a man you might recognize. Hunter Dobbins gained notoriety for his intense hatred of the Yankees after the disputed treatment of his father and the fact that he debuted with the Red Sox in kind of an inverse Schlittler way. His career took a dive after he tossed six shutout innings against the Yanks in 2025, tearing his ACL and later being sent to the Cardinals in the Willson Contreras trade. In seven appearances this season in St. Louis, the 26-year-old has a 3.74 ERA (107 ERA+) and 3.81 FIP in 33.2 innings.
Dobbins is a unique pitcher, as he’s had pretty violent reverse splits for a right-handed pitcher, allowing an OPS 200 points higher against same-handed hitting. His calling card in Boston was good command and getting the ball on the ground, but that’s faded slightly this season as he struggles to get the opposition to whiff or chase. He has six pitches, but leans on his four-seamer, slider, and splitter against lefties while throwing more sinkers and sweepers to righties.
The new-look Yankees lineup will feature Trent Grisham and Ben Rice at the top, as always, before the pair of deadline acquisitions bat third and fourth, as Luis García Jr. looks for an encore after last night’s debut and Heliot Ramos makes his Yankees debut. Spencer Jones, who survived the axe that swung on Volpe and Domínguez last night, bats fifth in front of Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon. Lombard will bat eighth in his major league debut, just in front of Austin Wells.
Rookie extraordinaire JJ Wetherholt will lead off, followed by sluggers Jordan Walker and Iván Herrera. José Fermín joins the lineup, batting cleanup, followed by platoon bat Nelson Velazquez. Masyn Winn, Blaze Jordan, Nathan Church, and Pedro Pagés round out the order.
How to watch
Location: Yankee Stadium — The Bronx, NY
First pitch: 7:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: YES, Cardinals.TV
Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM (STL)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)
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