Breaking news: The Yankees promote top prospect as a replacement for Anthony Volpe.
The club advanced top prospect George Lombard Jr. to Double-A Somerset on Sunday night, just hours after the New York Yankees suffered another devastating series loss (to the Tampa Bay Rays this time).
The Yankees’ top prospect in the farm system, the 2023 first-round selection, gained momentum following his outstanding spring training. Last season, he played in 110 games between Single-A Tampa (81) and High-A Hudson Valley (29), marking his first complete season of professional ball.
But other from his defense and stolen bases, Lombard didn’t exactly draw attention. Some started to wonder why the Yankees selected another shortstop when they had more pressing needs because his offense was struggling. However, things seemed to change over the offseason.
The Lombard is striking. In 24 games to start 2025, 329/.496/.488 with 22 runs scored, one home run, 13 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He’s witnessed a huge increase in his contact and walk rates. He’s committed only one mistake in 190 innings at shortstop while also playing a handful of games at second and third base.
One might argue that this promotion marks Anthony Volpe’s first real push, even if he has a long way to go before making his Major League debut.
George Lombard Jr., a top prospect, was promoted to Double-A Somerset by the Yankees.
Is that perhaps a little over the top? Yes. However, keep in mind that the Yankees voluntarily passed up a record shortstop free agency class in favor of Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a temporary option before to Volpe’s 2023 debut. As they made room for a talented prospect without any major league experience, it ended their window of opportunity to compete at the moment.
Although Volpe has a lot of skill, he is hardly Corey Seager. Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson. The Yankees declared a 20-year-old to be their future shortstop before he even made it to Triple-A, rather than coming up with a way to combine Volpe with an all-world talent.
Ever since, he has held the role without any interruptions. He has been allowed to make errors and experience his growing pains by the Yankees. He’s never been benched for performance difficulties. He’s never been given a respite in the midst of a slump. Additionally, some supporters have been irritated with his growth since last year.
Despite being a Gold Glove winner and a competent defender, he doesn’t seem like an elite choice in that area, despite the statistics to the contrary. Some may even argue that he appears to have improved offensively to begin 2025, but he still has trouble making contact and his strikeouts are still a serious problem. His productivity sometimes comes in forceful, quick spurts while his terrible difficulties continue for weeks.
When all is said and done, we’ll see how Volpe does in Year 3. He might put himself in a position to really shine for the rest of his tenure with the team if he can establish some offensive consistency and refrain from making defensive blunders in the closing minutes of games (he’s already cost the team two this season).
If not? Well, if Lombard Jr. continues to light up Double-A and pushes the Yankees’ hand to bump him to Triple-A by the end of the season, then the pressure may start to take hold for Volpe, who has yet to experience a shred of it when it comes to job security.
