The Yankees’ No. 1 prospect is now one rung away from the top of the ladder.
Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre announced Wednesday that infielder George Lonbard has been promoted from the Patriots to the RailRiders, putting him now at the highest level below the pinstripes.
Lombard, who is still just 20 and won’t turn 21 until June, has had a torrid start to 2026, slashing .312/.400/.571 with four home runs, 10 RBI, four steals, and 18 runs scored in 20 games for Somerset this season.
The No. 27 overall prospect per MLB.com was in his second season in Somerset, ad he played 108 games there in 2025 after a similar situation to this season – he slashed.329/.429/,488 in his second run at High-A Hudson Valley before moving up to Double-A.
Lombard struggled in Somerset last year, posting just a .215/.337/.358 slash with eight homers, 36 RBI, and 24 steals, but this year’s season-opening heater once again has him moving up the line.
The 2023 first-round pick has played mostly short this season, with a few games at third in deference to a rehabbing Anthony Volpe, but he played all three infield positions both last year and in Spring Training. Per Jack Curry of YES, the expectation is he will play shortstop with some third in a depleted Triple-A infield that has recently lost Braden Shewmake in a trade to Houston and Max Schuemann to an MLB promotion, and is reportedly about to lose veteran Paul DeJong to an opt-out clause in his minor-league deal.
The RailRiders have Jonathan Ornelas and Oswaldo Cabrera, who can both play all three infield positions, and just called up Duncan Pastore, who started at third in his first AAA game but played second base exclusively last year in the lower minors, so Lombard can move around - and the continuation of third base could also signal that the Yankees will look at him as a potential late-season upgrade at the hot corner if Ryan McMahon, who entered Wednesday slashing .174/.278/.261, continues to struggle.
