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Yankees' Highly Touted Prospect Continues Ascent in Rankings
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Yankees' Highly Touted Prospect Continues Ascent in Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports  |  By Joe Najarian  |  Last updated May 28, 2026 4:16 PM ET
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Although the New York Yankees have gotten all-around great play from the shortstop position this season, they still have a future franchise shortstop waiting in the wings.

George Lombard Jr. has been ranked among the Bronx Bombers' top prospects since being selected 26th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. Ever since outfielder Jasson Dominguez graduated from prospect status, Lombard claimed the title of best farmhand in the Yankees' system. But how does he compare to the rest of baseball's top prospects?

The general consensus is that Lombard belongs in the upper echelon at least, with MLB Pipeline ranking him 21st on their Top 100 List. However, Keith Law of The Athletic took things a step further in his recently released Top 50 Prospects List.

George Lombard Jr. Ranked Among the Top 10 Prospects in MLB

Releasing his updated rankings on Thursday, Law ranked Lombard as the sixth-best prospect across baseball. This is a significant rise from the preseason rankings, when Lombard ranked 24th. In his assessment of Lombard, Law called the 20-year-old "a gifted shortstop and a 55 to 60 runner who has enough power to get to 15-20 homers in time."

Lombard has played 44 games this year with two affiliates, the Double-A Somerset Patriots and the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He boasts an overall slash line of .253/.380/.412 with 12 doubles and four home runs; Lombard's most attractive attribute as a hitter is his plate discipline, drawing 34 walks against 42 strikeouts.

The young shortstop's keen batting eye has remained prevalent since being promoted to Triple-A on April 29. Despite only hitting .204 in 93 at-bats at the new level, he's drawn 22 walks against 23 strikeouts while boasting a .364 on-base percentage. Lombard also has four stolen bases in six attempts and 18 runs scored.

Law mentioned that Lombard had some "bad luck" with frequent hard-hit outs to begin his time with Triple-A. But he also noted that the shortstop also needed an adjustment period when going from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset in 2025; he hit .329/.495/.488 with Hudson Valley but posted a .215/.337/.358 slash line with Somerset over 108 games. By 2026, Lombard had fully adjusted to his environment and hit .312/.400/.571 in 20 games before being promoted.

As Lombard continues to develop, the Yankees are in good hands at shortstop. Jose Caballero and Anthony Volpe have combined for 1.5 fWAR, with both providing strong defense up the middle and contributing offensively. Caballero's speed (13 stolen bases) makes him extremely threatening on base, especially when the Yankees' lineup flips to the top of the order. Volpe, despite missing the first month recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, has a .409 on-base percentage in 44 plate appearances as the plate discipline he showed as a prospect is beginning to reappear.

Despite this production, Caballero and Volpe are preparing to see time at other positions, with the former being capable of playing second base, third base and the outfield, and the latter taking reps at second on days off. While this allows the Yankees to potentially put both players into their starting lineup, it also could be an indicator of leaving shortstop open for Lombard once they consider him MLB-ready.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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