TAMPA: George Lombard Jr. of the New York Yankees before a spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 28, 2024. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
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A day after the wild MLB 2026 Trade Deadline, the New York Yankees swapped shortstops within their own system. Much-hyped George Lombard Jr., is up for his MLB debut and much-maligned Anthony Volpe is back in the minors.
“Defensively, he’s plug-and-play, ready to go,” General Manager Brian Cashman said in mid-July.
That’s good enough for always raucous Yankees fans and the perpetually harsh New York media. Both factors have spent much of 2026 vilifying Volpe’s play, particularly on defense.
The blogpost Bleedingyankeeblue summed up their feelings: “This wasn’t just a baseball move. This was an organization finally cracking under the weight of fan pressure and years of its own failures. Let’s be honest. Brian Cashman backed himself into this corner and did a horrible job at the trade deadline. After another deadline where the Yankees failed to make the kind of significant moves that could actually change the direction of this club, something had to give. The fan base has been screaming for accountability while Cashman continued to sell patience. Well, patience ran out.”
Cashman told reporters Monday he tried to trade for a shortstop. “We engaged everybody,” he said. “We tried to evaluate all opportunities in the marketplace. And, with that being said, I don’t think there were a lot of opportunities that existed that were upgrades for us. We like the players we have and we like the players we have on the come.”
NEW YORK: Luis Garcia Jr. of the New York Yankees celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 3, 2026. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)
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The Yankees’ best acquisition at the deadline, Luis Garcia Jr., from Washington, paid instant dividends. A few hours after being obtained for three right-handed pitchers, Garcia started at first base and went 2-for-4, including a two-run homer.
Manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence this past weekend before the flurry of trades that Lombard could be a prize upgrade at short.
“I think he’s had an outstanding year,” Aaron Boone told reporters. “I think he’s gotten better. I think he continues to show a ton of progress. We love the kid and the makeup. It’s been fun to see him — any of your minor league players or prospects, you want to see them develop and get better. In George’s case, obviously a high-profile one, that’s continued to happen. It’s a testament to his work ethic and his talent.”
Thus far, the 21-year-old has shown he can run, throw and field with the best of them. Until this year, his ability to consistently hit a baseball was not as certain even though he was ranked as the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Despite missing a month with two sprained fingers on his left hand, Lombard hit .284 with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 78 games in the minors this year. He batted .312 in 20 games at Double-A Somerset. Since being promoted to Triple-A, he hit .268 with six homers, 21 RBI, 44 runs scored, and 10 steals in 56 games.
That’s much better than his combined .233 mark with 14 homers in 242 games at lower levels the previous two years. In 2024 and 2025, the best thing he did on offense was run, accumulating 74 steals and 146 runs scored.
TAMPA: George Lombard Jr. hits a home run for the New York Yankees in a Spring Training game against the Houston Astros on March 1, 2025, at George M. Steinbrenner Field. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Yankees scouts maintain that the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard’s patient approach at the plate, smooth swing and good bat speed along with adding muscle will make him a power threat.
They had that forecast for him back in 2023 when New York made him the 26th pick in the first round and signed him for $3.3 million at age 18.
“George has a number of physical attributes and is an elite athlete with all five tools and skills to play shortstop,” said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting at the time. “He has the ability to impact the ball and use the whole field for power, alongside good contact skills.
“The makeup is a separator. He is focused on every pitch with an unquestioned work ethic. All of that from a young man with Major League bloodlines and a mom that was also a high-end collegiate athlete.”
His father was a speedy outfielder and second-round pick in 1994. His brother was a first-rounder last month. George Lombard, now the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach, signed for $425,000 with the Atlanta Braves 32 years ago. Jacob Lombard, a shortstop, got $5 million as the Miami Marlins’ top pick, No. 14 overall, on July 11.
We’ve Seen This Before
Volpe’s signing and promotion received great fanfare, too. He also was a first-round choice (No. 30) in 2019. Better yet for the fans and media, he was essentially one of them growing up 39 miles from Yankee Stadium in Morristown, N.J.
He signed for $2,740,300 at age 18 then missed all of 2020 due to the Covid outbreak that cancelled the entire minor-league season. In 2021, he hit .294 with 27 homers, 113 runs, 86 RBI and 33 steals in Class A ball.
Predictably, fans hit the radio call shows, insisting, “Bring him up now.”
NEW YORK: Anthony Volpe of the New York Yankees displays his 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove award that was presented to him before a game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on April 23, 2024. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
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The Yankees waited two years and did put Volpe in their lineup to start the 2023 season after he won the spring-training battle for the position over highly regarded Oswald Peraza. Fans loved “the hometown kid” even though the 22-year-old hit only .209. He also had 21 homers, 24 steals, 60 RBI and won a gold glove – the first by a Yankees rookie at the position.
His offense was essentially the same in 2024 and 2025 but much more was expected. Meanwhile, his defense lagged. He made 19 errors a year ago, tied with Boston’s Trevor Story for most in the American League at shortstop.
Volpe tore the labrum in his left shoulder diving for a ball in May, He stayed in the lineup all year and had surgery in October. He was still recovering during spring training and opened 2026 in the minors. After 18 games, he was back with the Yankees but in 56 games has just one homer, 19 RBI, a .240 average and 4 errors.
A Word Or Two From The Captain
Hall of Fame shortstop and long-time Yankees captain Derek Jeter knows all about playing under a microscope in New York, where every good move is hailed as great and even a tiny miscue is cause for alarm.
COOPERSTOWN, NY: Derek Jeter gives his speech during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on Sept. 08, 2021. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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During an interview last month on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio with Adam Schein, Jeter spoke about Volpe:
“I think as a young player, it’s obvious the Yankees have made a commitment to Anthony, right. They’re committed to him. But they’re not also committed to him being the shortstop. They’re committed to allowing him to continue developing at the major league level.
“At times, fans get frustrated watching that, but every player goes through it. Every player has gone through bumps in the road. Most of the time, those bumps happen in the minor leagues.
“The Yankees are very high on Anthony. I don’t personally know him that well, but they’re banking on his upside. Hopefully he can put it together here. It’s tough, though. It’s tough to go through growing pains at the major league level.”
That last comment now applies to Lombard.
What’s Next For New York Yankees?
Lombard’s best value immediately will be to solidify the infield defense. Any offense he supplies will be a bonus, but his primary job will be to help the pitching staff be turning ground balls into outs.
Getting sluggers Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Cody Bellinger off the injured list and into the lineup is most important. Those big bats erase a lot of other problems.
New York trails the Tampa Bay Rays by 3.5 games in the AL East but is six games ahead of the pack in the wild-card race. Right now, even without their big guns and with a brand-new shortstop, it is a good scenario.
The New York Yankees are right where they and their fans expect to be – on the path to the playoffs.