The Yankees may be tempted to rush George Lombard Jr. into the starting shortstop job, but Joel Sherman says the organization is not nearly as eager as the rumor mill suggests.
Sherman said on his New York Post podcast, Pinstripe Post, that the team is wary of disrupting Lombard’s development even after his strong return from injury.
"They are very concerned about screwing with what they feel is a natural gestation period for what a prospect should go through that was slowed down for a few weeks with a hand injury recently," Sherman said on his New York Post podcast, Pinstripe Post.
That caution comes even though Lombard has been tearing up Triple-A since coming back, batting .483 with a 1.502 OPS in July. His Triple-A season line sits at .264/.835, and the broader read on him is that he has usually needed time to adjust at every level before everything clicks.
Sherman also said that even people inside the organization who like Lombard would rather see him win a job in spring training next year than be thrown into the mix now.
"I do not think the Yankees are as gung ho to bring Lombard up as their fanbase is." @Joelsherman1 shares what he's hearing with Yankees top prospect SS George Lombard Jr.
Pinstripe Post with Joel and @RyanMSampson ➡️ https://t.co/GGqXd5wL3X pic.twitter.com/FgobqzaS7K
- New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) July 28, 2026
The timing of that message is part of what stings for Yankees fans. Monday night offered a rough reminder of why the shortstop conversation keeps bubbling up: Jose Caballero booted a hotshot grounder while playing in with one out in the ninth, then Anthony Volpe dropped the game-ending popup before David Bednar came in to get the final out. Neither shortstop had a clean night, and the frustration around the position only grew from there.
At the same time, the Yankees have bigger holes to patch than shortstop. Catcher, third base and left field all remain areas that need trade upgrades, which is why the idea of promoting the club’s No. 1 prospect has real appeal. Lombard is a shortstop, he’s hot in Triple-A, and he’s already forcing the issue on performance alone.
But Sherman’s reporting suggests the Yankees are thinking beyond the immediate jolt. The club already pushed Volpe through the pipeline as the answer, only to watch that story turn sour as his struggles mounted and the organization kept standing by him. If Lombard is brought up and doesn’t look like an instant upgrade, the same kind of narrative could take hold again with a fanbase that is not known for patience.
Still, the case for calling him up is obvious. The Yankees need help, Lombard is producing, and the temptation to see what he can do at the next level is easy to understand.
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