George Lombard Jr. is back in the New York Yankees’ starting lineup Monday night as the club opens a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
The rookie shortstop will bat sixth and play shortstop after sitting out Sunday’s series finale against the Mets. Jose Caballero shifts from shortstop to second base for the opener.
Manager Aaron Boone is giving the 21-year-old another look after a brief rest. Lombard had gone hitless in three straight games before Sunday’s 2-0 win that closed the Subway Series.
New York took two of three from the Mets and improved to 86-63. The Yankees sit four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East and entered Monday with a magic number of one to clinch a playoff berth.
Will Warren gets the ball for New York. The right-hander is 10-6 with a 4.05 ERA. Minnesota counters with Dean Kremer, who is 3-5 with a 5.65 ERA for a Twins team sitting at 70-79.
The Yankees posted this batting order for Monday: Yankees 9/14. B. Rice DH, C. Bellinger LF, A. Judge RF, L. García Jr. 1B, S. Jones CF, G. Lombard Jr. SS, R. McMahon 3B, A. Wells C, J. Caballero 2B, W. Warren SP.
Lombard has appeared in 31 major league games since his Aug. 4 debut. He is hitting .217 with three home runs, 11 RBIs, 14 runs and one stolen base in 106 at-bats.
Those numbers show both the adjustment and the flashes. He homered in his second big league at-bat that night against St. Louis and later added a grand slam against Colorado on Sept. 9, the Yankees’ first of the season.
“Grand slam is cool, but it’s a big swing to put us in front and give us a good lead so we can win today,” Lombard said after the homer.
Boone has talked often about the shortstop’s composure. After the grand slam, the manager said, “I think just his maturity. Physical kid, talented. I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time. But right now it’s just his maturity. Doesn’t seem to speed up for him.”
The recent slump did not change that view. After Lombard went 3-for-27 over a stretch in September, Boone said he still liked the at-bats.
“I feel like having competitive at-bats,” Boone said. “That’s part of the throes of the season. You’re going to have stretches where he had a big grand slam a few days ago, and you have stretches where you wear it a little bit for a few days. But I don’t feel like he’s too far off with that.”
Lombard was the Yankees’ first-round pick, 26th overall, out of Gulliver Preparatory School in 2023. He is the son of former major league outfielder George Lombard, now the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach. His younger brother Jacob was a first-round pick of the Miami Marlins this summer.
The call-up in early August came right after the trade deadline. New York optioned Anthony Volpe to Triple-A to open the shortstop job. Lombard has started every game at the position since arriving.
Defense has been mixed. He made highlight plays early, including a diving stop and several double plays, then went through an error stretch in late August. Boone called those mistakes “a little bump in the road” and said Lombard would be “really good at the routine plays” over time.
At the plate, the right-handed hitter has shown power to the opposite field and a patient approach at times. His on-base percentage sits at .280. He has drawn nine walks and struck out 33 times.
The Yankees needed a right-handed bat in a lefty-heavy lineup. Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, Luis García Jr., Spencer Jones, Ryan McMahon and Austin Wells all hit left-handed. Lombard and Aaron Judge give Boone some balance from the right side.
New York has won 18 of its last 26 games. A strong road trip would tighten the division race and lock up October baseball. The club still has games remaining against Minnesota and Arizona before the regular season ends.
Lombard will try to snap his hitless stretch against Kremer and the Twins’ staff. Minnesota has been inconsistent at home this season and is well out of the Central race.
For a player who debuted at 21 years and 63 days old, the last six weeks have been a crash course. He has already seen the highs of a debut homer and a grand slam and the lows of an 0-for stretch in September.
Boone keeps saying the kid handles both the same way. Monday’s lineup card is the latest sign the Yankees still trust him in the middle of a playoff push.
