Why Yankees Top Prospect Isn’t Close

George Lombard Jr. showed a flash of excellence over the weekend, proving why he's one of the top prospects in the New York Yankees organization. Lombard gobbled up a ball that dribbled to his left. In one swift motion, he turned to first base and fired it for the out.

With Anthony Volpe not living up to expectations offensively and the young shortstop taking a turn for the worse defensively in his third year, going from an elite 13 Outs Above Average to -6 in 2025, attention will always turn to the next big thing in the minors. In this case, it's Lombard. The Yankees aren't likely to push him any faster, though, and a 2026 MLB debut isn't in the cards for the second-generation 20-year-old top prospect.

Brian Cashman said as much shortly after the season ended. For him, there's a key aspect of his game that's missing.

"Defensively, he's ready to go, and offensively, it looks like he needs more time and we're looking to ride that time and those reps," Cashman said, according to SNY's Phillip Martinez.

Still Simmering

It's easy to see why Cashman said that. Lombard, drafted out of Gulliver Prep School in Miami, just finished his third full season in the minors. He has yet to hit double-digit home runs or even have a slugging percentage over .400.

For now, it's just a waiting game until his tools come together. While Cashman is going to be patient, he does think that once Lombard figures it out, it will be a sharp rise from there.

"Players that possess some high-ceiling talent, which Lombard has, once it comes altogether, it can come really fast, it's just an avalanche of success of instant ready," Cashman said of the Yankees top shortstop prospect. "He could be coming on strong as early as next year, or he might need some more time. The game will tell us more than anything else."

The Shortstop Position in 2026

Anybody with dreams of Lombard Jr. taking the job away from Volpe will have to wait a bit on that one. It just isn't feasible, and for all the complaints about this regime's inability to develop players, Cashman is right on this one. Exposing a 20-year-old to major league pitching when he hasn't even mastered hitting at the lower levels would just be a disaster.

At that point, Lombard would effectively be Andrew Velasquez. It’s a fun story until the Yankees are 200 plate plate appearences in, and he has a .540 OPS.

For now, the Yankees will continue to practice patience, and the shortstop job in 2026 is Jose Caballero's to lose. Caballero started the spring strong, barreling a baseball that ricocheted off the Planet Fitness sign in left field and rolled back onto the outfield. Caballero has always been one of the better, more well-rounded defensive players in baseball, posting positive metrics at multiple infield and outfield positions, and the Yankees are hoping his bat comes around.

It's already better than Volpe's at this point. His 97 wRC+ would have been a career high for him. Although it was only in 370 plate appearances. Caballero is yet to crack the 500 plate appearance mark, and when he came close with 483 in 2024, he had an 83 wRC+.

Of course, there is still a ton of value for a slightly below-average offense with great defense. Caballero had a 2.1 WAR in 2025, according to Fangraphs. That ceiling could even be higher if he becomes a more well-rounded player. It could buy Lombard some time, too.

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