While the Bronx continues its love-hate relationship with Anthony Volpe, Yankees‘ General Manager Brian Cashman has quietly positioned a stick of dynamite in the minor league system that could blow the whole infield depth chart wide open.
We are talking about George Lombard Jr., the 20-year-old shortstop who the Yankees believe isn’t just a prospect, but a potential superstar waiting for his “avalanche of success.” The front office isn’t hiding their excitement, and frankly, neither should you.
Cashman knows he has a thoroughbred in the stable, but he is careful not to let him run before he’s saddled. In a candid assessment a few months ago, the GM laid out exactly why Lombard is special and why 2026 isn’t just a pipe dream.
“Players that possess some high-ceiling talent, which Lombard has, once it comes altogether, it can come really fast, it’s just an avalanche of success of instant ready,” Cashman said. “He could be coming on strong as early as next year or he might need some more time. The game will tell us more than anything else.”
A Tale of Two Seasons: Why the Yankees Are Patient
If you look at the raw numbers from his 2025 campaign, you see a kid tearing the cover off the ball one minute and looking human the next. In High-A Hudson Valley, Lombard was basically a video game character.
Over 24 games, he slashed a ridiculous .329/.495/.488, posting a 194 wRC+ that signaled he was laughably better than his competition. He wasn’t just getting hits; he was dominating the strike zone with a walk rate (20.7%) higher than his strikeout rate (19.8%).
But baseball has a way of humbling even the best young talents. Once he got the call to Double-A Somerset, the game sped up. Over 108 games, his average dipped to .215 and his strikeout rate spiked to 26.4% as advanced pitching started to exploit the holes in his young swing. Yet, even while “struggling,” he still managed a 111 wRC+, meaning he was 11% better than the average Double-A hitter while playing elite defense at a premium position.
The Glove Is Ready, but the Bat Will Decide His Fate
Here is the scary part for the rest of the league: if George Lombard Jr. walked onto the field at Yankee Stadium tonight, he would likely be a Gold Glove-caliber defender immediately. Cashman didn’t mince words about that.
“Defensively, he’s ready to go and offensively, it looks like he needs more time and we’re looking to ride that time and those reps.”
This creates a fascinating timeline. The Yankees recently saw 4 Yankees make MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, and Lombard is arguably the one with the highest ceiling of the bunch. If the offensive game clicks—if he cuts down that 26% K-rate and taps into his raw power consistently—he becomes a legitimate threat to steal the starting job.
We know the Yankees are doubling down on Anthony Volpe again and inviting disaster by trusting him implicitly, but Lombard represents the ultimate insurance policy. Cashman admits that while 2026 wasn’t the original plan, talent has a way of forcing the issue.
“I wouldn’t think ’26 is on the horizon, but I wouldn’t rule out some point in ’26 at the same time because you saw what happened with Spencer Jones last year, where he started to tear through all levels,” Cashman noted. “And once it starts coming together, there’s no stopping a lot of these guys unless somebody’s standing in front of them at the major league level. So, we’ll see.”
Lombard swiped 35 bags across two levels last year and hit nine homers, flashing the dynamic toolset the Yankees crave. He is coming. It might be June, it might be September, but George Lombard Jr. is inevitable.