The Yankees had a rough Wednesday night in the Bronx, and the score only told part of it. They put runners on, watched the rain come and go, dealt with a brief power outage at Yankee Stadium, and still came up empty in a 3-1 loss to St. Louis that sealed the series.
But in the middle of all that frustration, George Lombard Jr. kept flashing something the Yankees can build on.
The 21-year-old rookie, playing in just his second big league game, was all over the field. In the third inning, he ranged behind second base to reach a 105.5 mph one-hop liner off JJ Wetherholt and fired to first to finish the play. It looked like a ball destined for center field until Lombard’s first step and body control shut it down.
He wasn’t done there. In the seventh, he handled César Prieto cleanly on a play that didn’t draw the same gasp but said plenty about how steady he already looks at shortstop. He moved well both ways and kept finishing the play with confidence.
“I made a joke with him earlier: ‘He’s everywhere,’” Warren said. “It’s nice to have that behind you.”
That kind of range is exactly why Lombard’s glove is already making noise. MLB Pipeline gives him a 65 fielding grade on the 20-80 scouting scale, pointing to his quick hands, range and arm strength at shortstop. Aaron Boone saw those traits show up against major league speed and liked what he saw.
“He’s obviously very athletic and quick,” Boone said. “He’s catlike in a lot of ways.”
Lombard’s defense wasn’t the only part of his night worth noticing. At the plate, he added another sign that the Yankees may have something here. In the fifth inning, with Ryan McMahon on base, Lombard lined a single into center to move him into scoring position and give New York two runners on at once for the first time all game.
He didn’t chase another big swing after homering for his first major league hit Tuesday. This time, he stayed through the ball and used the middle of the field.
The Yankees just couldn’t finish the job. Trent Grisham grounded into a double play, and later Lombard struck out against Ryne Stanek’s 99.8 mph fastball with two runners aboard in the eighth. That was the other side of the rookie test: major league arms will keep forcing him to prove the bat can catch up.
Still, the early line is encouraging. Lombard is 2-for-6 through two games with a home run, one RBI and a walk. He became the 14th Yankees player to homer in his MLB debut and the third-youngest in franchise history to do it.
His Triple-A numbers help explain why the Yankees were willing to give him this look. At Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he hit .268/.405/.440 with 16 doubles, six homers, 21 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 56 games. After coming back from two sprained fingers on his left hand, he batted .377 over 14 games with a 1.081 OPS.
The Yankees opened the door by optioning Anthony Volpe to Triple-A and putting their top prospect at shortstop during an AL East race. Two games won’t decide that move. But they can absolutely change the conversation.
Lombard has already shown he can handle the pace defensively. He’s turned balls that looked like hits into outs, made the throws, and looked comfortable doing it.
The offense will take more time, especially with pitchers challenging him inside and burying breaking balls below the zone. His strikeout in the eighth was a reminder of that.
His single in the fifth was the counterpoint.
The Yankees lost the game and the series. Lombard still walked out of the Stadium looking like a player who has forced the next decision to get a lot more interesting.
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