George

Lombard Jr.

The Yankees kept the 20-year-old prospect in big league camp so he could play against the Tigers on Thursday — where his dad is the team’s bench coach. Overall in Grapefruit League action, Lombard hit .185 (5-for-27) with a homer, six RBI and a pair of stolen bases. He’s expected to begin the season at Double-A Somerset.

He took Garrett Crochet deep for a 392-foot blast to lead off the game and scored on Ben Rice’s RBI double in his second plate appearance. Lombard’s spring OPS is up to 1.196. He’s not a real threat to break camp with the Yankees, but if he continues playing like this in the minors, perhaps he’ll be a midseason promotion candidate.

Lombard drew the start at the hot corner for Wednesday’s Florida nightcap and put on an impressive display with a phenomenal barehanded play early in the contest before smacking a 108.8 mph double a couple frames later. The 20-year-old former first-round pick will open the year in the upper minors and could potentially arrive at Yankee Stadium before the regular season comes to a close.

The Athletics also wanted “young pitching,” so the overall scope of the request would depend on which pitchers they had asked for. However, Mason Miller is under team control for four more seasons after this one and could have been the Yankees’ closer of the future. This deadline for the Yankees may come down to what type of MLB player Spencer Jones turns into.

Clark and fellow Tigers top prospects Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceño, who were all promoted earlier this month to Double-A Erie, anchor a junior circuit lineup that is jam-packed with intriguing talents. McGonigle might be the top pure hitter in the minor leagues and has cemented his status as a legitimate top-five prospect for dynasty purposes thanks to his blend of elite plate skills and consistent hard contact. The rest of the lineup features fellow elite shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott in addition to fascinating slugger Jhostunxon Garcia, also known as The Password. Here’s the full lineup: Clark (CF), Braden Montgomery (LF), C.J. Kayfus (1B), Garcia (RF), Harry Ford (C), Briceño (DH), Walcott (3B), McGonigle (SS), Lombard Jr. (2B) and Parker Messick (P).

Lombard earns the promotion to the upper minors after tearing the cover off the ball at the outset of the season for High-A Hudson Valley, batting .329/.495/.488 with 10 extra-base hits and 11 steals through 24 games. The 19-year-old top prospect has made tremendous strides since being selected 26th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. He’s not quite an elite dynasty prospect yet for fantasy purposes, but he’s certainly on that trajectory, especially as he continues to improve at the plate.

Lombard, who doesn’t turn 20 years old until June 2, was one of New York’s standout prospects this spring. He was batting .263 (5-for-19) with two homers during 10 Grapefruit League contests prior to going 0-for-3 during Monday’s showdown against the Tigers. The former first-round pick struggled to make contact on pitches in the zone last year in the lower minors, but the physical tools are undeniable. He’s most likely already rostered in deeper dynasty formats and it wouldn’t be shocking if his value skyrocketed this season with a strong performance in the upper minors.

Lombard, the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft, settled for five homers in 110 games in A-ball last season, but there’s considerably more power on the way here. A shortstop primarily right now, he projects best at third base, which is where he started today.

The 19-year-old Lombard was hitting .232/.344/.348 with five homers and 30 steals in 81 games for low-A Tampa. He’s mostly played shortstop, but he’s also getting some experience at second and third with Anthony Volpe blocking the way at his primary position.

Lombard lands an over-slot $3.3 million signing bonus after being selected 26th overall at the tail-end of the first round earlier this month. He’ll begin his career at just 18 years old in New York’s system. The son of former big leaguer George Lombard is one of the more toolsy middle infield prospects in his draft class and has a shot of reaching the majors in a few years.