Anthony Volpe's Yankees Future Is Unclear With George Lombard Jr.'s Promotion

The New York Yankees have finally given George Lombard Jr. the call to the major leagues.

After a disappointing trade deadline and a brutal loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night, the Yankees' promotion of their top prospect was a great way to restore excitement. Lombard absolutely deserves this opportunity as well. After shaking off a slow first month in Triple-A and missing time with sprained fingers, the 21-year-old fully adapted to his environment, registering a 1.081 OPS in his last 15 games.

New York Yankees call-up George Lombard Jr. homered off Zack Wheeler in April 👀 pic.twitter.com/RP8Dx36PDq
— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2026

However, something that may have been overlooked was the Yankees' moves after deciding to promote Lombard. Both Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez were sent down to Triple-A late on Monday night. While Dominguez's demotion was to make room for deadline acquisition Heliot Ramos, Volpe's demotion was the corresponding move for Lombard.

Is this the end for Anthony Volpe?

It's no secret that Volpe has failed to live up to expectations. Granted, it was unfair to tab Volpe as "the next Derek Jeter" upon reaching the majors, and rushing him through Triple-A was also a big mistake by Yankees management. But with a sample size of three-and-a-half seasons, Volpe's continued offensive struggles are extremely disappointing, especially when his bat is what made him so attractive as a prospect.

Additionally, Volpe has only played at shortstop in his major league career. While he's been a strong defender there outside of last season (which was likely the result of playing through an injury), it's not enough to outweigh the mediocre bat.

This also made it difficult for the Yankees to use both Volpe and Jose Caballero in the lineup; Caballero may be a utility player, but his best defense has come at shortstop. The fact that both Volpe and Caballero have not produced lately provided more reason to give Lombard the call.

Anthony Volpe drops what would have been the final out of the game. And now David Bednar has to come in to close the game pic.twitter.com/HDHanUcsQx
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 28, 2026

On Tuesday, Aaron Boone revealed on the Talkin' Yanks podcast that the Yankees will try to get more defensive flexibility from the 25-year-old. According to Boone, Volpe will see time at second base while playing at Triple-A, in addition to continuing to play shortstop. This makes it feasible for both Volpe and Lombard to play together when the former returns, while not moving Lombard off shortstop.

Why the Yankees shouldn't bet on Volpe at second base

Despite this, it would not be wise for the Yankees to roll into 2027 with Volpe as their second baseman. They would be better off re-signing Jazz Chisholm Jr. instead.

Chisholm is set to become a free agent at the end of the year, and many would think the Yankees wouldn't be able to pay him what he wants.

However, it's unlikely that Chisholm will find the market he's looking for because of his disappointing 2026 performance so far, and he'd be better off signing a short-term, high-AAV contract with opt-outs in hopes of bouncing back. The Yankees should gladly give him a platform deal, as he's one of baseball's elite second basemen at his best.

Yet as ugly as Chisholm's 2026 season is, it's still more productive than Volpe's. Chisholm has 16 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and a .687 OPS, while Volpe has only 12 extra-base hits (one of which was a home run) and a .646 OPS with a superior on-base percentage (.325 for Volpe against .293 for Chisholm).

Three straight seasons with 30+ stolen bases for Jazz Chisholm Jr. 💨 pic.twitter.com/pQJtRqYuzR
— MLB (@MLB) July 30, 2026

And that doesn't even factor in defense at second. Volpe has yet to play a game at second, but it's highly unlikely he is worth 10 Outs Above Average and five fielding runs like Chisholm is this year. Regardless, Volpe has yet to prove he can be a productive hitter at the MLB level, while Chisholm is capable of 30-30 seasons at his peak, which he showed in 2025.

Volpe's future hinges on Lombard's performance

Should the Yankees completely give up on Volpe? No. He's still only 25 years old, and while Lombard looks extremely promising, he shouldn't be viewed as a sure thing like Volpe was. The way the Yankees handled Volpe's development and growing pains was unacceptable, and they need to avoid making the same mistakes with Lombard.

As such, how Lombard performs in his first big-league opportunity will decide Volpe's future with the club. If Lombard shows that he isn't ready to be a full-time major leaguer yet, then the Yankees can simply turn back to Volpe, who hopefully gets time to concentrate on what made him succeed as a prospect before returning.

But while Lombard's status as a starter on the Yankees isn't guaranteed, Volpe shouldn't be guaranteed to be an everyday player either. He's running out of time to prove himself as a franchise stalwart, and if he doesn't show improvement reasonably soon, then it may be time for a change of scenery.

Add us as a preferred source on Google