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Yankees' George Lombard Jr. Might Be Starting to Feel It
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- Yankees' George Lombard Jr. Might Be Starting to Feel It
Yankees' George Lombard Jr. Might Be Starting to Feel It
(Tom Horak-Imagn Images)
New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. has been sidelined since the team's doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox last week due to a knee injury, but he is expected to return Friday night against the San Diego Padres.
The problem? Lombard might be starting to feel the mounting pressure of being a 21-year-old rookie in a playoff race.
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The Yankees called up Lombard in early August to replace the scuffling Volpe, and the early returns were tremendous . Lombard homered in his first game, and he immediately began making sparkling plays in the field.
Since then, however, the bottom has fallen out for Lombard.
The top prospect has seen his slash line dip to .253/.310/.367, and he made errors in five straight games at one point. That was the worst stretch by a Yankees shortstop since 1915.
So, what is the deal with Lombard?
Well, people need to understand that he is still just a kid who was baptized by fire. It wasn't like Lombard won the starting shortstop job out of Spring Training or was promoted in May. No; he was called up smack dab in the middle of a pennant race, and he may be getting slapped with a big reality check.
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Lombard has all of the tools needed to be a star. He hits, he fields, he runs the bases well and he exudes a quiet, Derek Jeter-like confidence. But we also must recognize that the former first-round pick also struggled upon being promoted to Double-A in 2025 and when he was initially elevated to Triple-A earlier this year.
The honeymoon phase is now over for Lombard, who is no longer running on adrenaline. This is the big time now, and he is surely taking his lumps.
In a way, it's healthy. Lombard has instantly been placed into a high-leverage environment, and it's sink or swim. But on the flip side, it could also be dangerous for his development if he begins to see his confidence fade.
It doesn't appear that the latter is happening just yet , but there is no question things were getting a bit dicey during his error bonanza.
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Lombard is batting just .171 with a .445 OPS over his last 10 games. It's clear that he has hit a bit of a wall. Now, he needs to find his way around it.
Whether or not he actually does that this season remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: he doesn't have much of a choice.
