George

Lombard Jr.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is sticking with the same lineup that was shutout by Rays ace Drew Rasmussen, who carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, and closer Bryan Baker in a Game 1 defeat. It’ll be eight left-handed batters getting a look at Freddy Peralta as he makes his Tampa Bay postseason debut in this one. Here’s the full lineup: Ben Rice (DH), Cody Bellinger (LF), Luis García Jr. (1B), Spencer Jones (RF), George Lombard Jr. (SS), Chisholm (2B), Trent Grisham (CF), Austin Wells (C) and Ryan McMahon (3B).

Lombard’s home run was his seventh of the season. He hit a go-ahead two-run shot off Steven Matz in the eighth inning. Lombard has hit four home runs in his last seven games. He’s hitting .243 with a .718 OPS and 22 RBI.

Jazz Chisholm is back from the injured list, and Boone told Talkin’ Yanks that he prefers to keep Chisholm at second base and George Lombard at shortstop. That will mean that Volpe needs to play third base in order to remain in the starting lineup, which would push Jose Caballero back to the bench. Volpe is hitting .263 in 11 games in September with one home run, seven RBI scored, and four runs scored. He’s certainly better than Ryan McMahon, but how he handles the position defensively will determine if he’s a better option than Caballero.

Lombard has two homers in three games and is back up to .235/.290/.386 overall. It seems like a lock that he’ll be the Yankees’ everyday shortstop in the postseason.

Lombard delivered a two-run single in the first and homered in the sixth. He’s at .234/.292/.371 through 35 games as a major leaguer, and he’s committed just one error in 15 games since that bizarre stretch in which he had one in six straight games.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 21-year-old shortstop. Jose Caballero will start in his place and bat ninth for the Bombers against Mets’ right-hander Christian Scott.

Lombard delivered the big blow in this game with a grand slam off Rockies’ starter Tomoyuki Sugano in the third inning. Apart from being the first grand slam of Lombard’s young career, it was the Yankees’ first grand slam this season. It was his third total home run, but his first since his fourth game as his bat has gone cold lately. Hopefully this can help to get him going before the playoffs.

Lombard missed four starts with knee soreness. He’s batting seventh in his return, which is the lowest he’s hit since Aug. 15. With Lombard starting and Ryan McMahon back, José Caballero is sitting for the first time since Aug. 19.

This seemed inevitable with the Yankees having an off day prior to Friday’s series opener against the Padres. There’s a chance Lombard requires a trip to the injured list if he’s not ready to go in a couple days. The 21-year-old rookie has missed four straight games with right knee discomfort. It’ll be José Caballero filling in at shortstop once again.

As expected, Lombard is sitting out for the third consecutive game with right knee discomfort. It’ll be José Caballero continuing to handle shortstop in his absence. There’s a chance he winds up requiring a trip to the injured list, but the Yankees have some flexibility with expanded rosters to wait and see for a couple extra days.