George Lombard Jr. had a challenging spring training for the New York Yankees. The 20-year-old had 28 at-bats while hitting .179 as he recorded one home run, six RBIs, and stole two bases, per MLB.com.
Nonetheless, the Yankees are taking their time with one of their top prospects, and on March 21, the team announced that Lombard has been reassigned to minor league camp.
Even with some struggles at the plate, this is still a valuable experience for Lombard. He has yet to play above Double-A, so a major league debut likely remains a ways off.
Moreover, Yankees manager Aaron Boone holds the young shortstop in high regard heading into the 2026 MLB season.
“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Boone told Sal Licata in a March 22 video about Lombard having an impact on the big league club this season. “He’s really physical and continues to develop, especially for such a young player. Great makeup, strong baseball IQ, and a solid work ethic. He has all the right ingredients, paired with being a tremendous defender. There’s real pop at the plate, and he controls the strike zone well.
“We just need to keep developing the hit tool and continue improving in that area. He finished at Double-A last year, where he had some struggles but also some success. Right now, the focus is on getting him going. But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that he’s closer than people think.”
Yankees’ Anthony Volpe Gives Injury Update
As for another Yankees shortstop, Anthony Volpe, he’s nearing his return after offseason surgery. On March 15, Volpe spoke with YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits about his recovery as the start of the new season nears.
“I guess it’s kind of a process, but I’m learning along the way,” Volpe told Marakovits. “I feel pretty good about where I’m at, progressing as expected, and kind of given the push and pull of them holding me back or me feeling really good. So I feel I am in a really good spot. I don’t know zero to 100 really where that is, but I’m excited about it…
“It’s just live at bats, just continuing the progression. There are still checkpoints that I’m not doing yet. So I’m really optimistic and excited, and I feel like it’s going to be sooner rather than later. But it’s just a natural progression of doing live at bats and getting into games and then seeing where that goes.”
Anthony Volpe Looks to Make Impact in 2026
Moreover, Volpe spoke about putting the injury on his non-throwing shoulder behind him as he looks to have a more impactful season for the Yankees.
“I’m just excited to put it behind me, put the finishing touches on this rehab, and then just get back out there,” Volpe added. “I’ve never been hurt in my life, so to go through this process, to go from rock bottom and build it all the way back up, you learn so much, obviously about your shoulder, but I think about yourself.
“And had great rehab, great trainers, great PTs throughout this whole thing, so a lot of thanks goes to them. I just want to make sure I’m intentional and diligent about putting the finishing touches on this thing and putting it behind me.”
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