Hours after bolstering their outfield at the trade deadline, the New York Yankees stayed within the organization to make a change to their infield.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the team’s Monday loss, and New York reportedly will call up its top prospect, 21-year-old George Lombard Jr., according to multiple media outlets.
Lombard is expected to become the Yankees’ regular shortstop. The position had been manned by Jose Caballero, who homered on Monday in the Yankees’ 13-7 loss to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, and Volpe.
In 56 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, Lombard batted .268 with a .405 on-base percentage, a .440 slugging percentage, six homers, 21 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
Slowed by a shoulder injury at the start of the campaign, Lombard played 78 games overall in the minors this year at three levels, hitting .284/.411/.498 with 12 homers, 33 RBIs and 14 steals.
His father, George Lombard Sr., played for the Atlanta Braves (1998-2000), Detroit Tigers (2002), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) and Washington Nationals (2006) and is now the Tigers’ bench coach.
Volpe, 25, won a Gold Glove as a rookie in 2023 and was an everyday player for New York for three years before sharing the role with Caballero this year. He hit .240/.325/.322 with one homer and 19 RBIs in 56 games in 2026.
Caballero, 29, is batting .245/.298/.396 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 97 games.
Following the Monday defeat, the Yankees also optioned outfielder Jasson Dominguez and reliever Angel Chivilli to Triple-A.
Dominguez, 23, hit .230/.270/.380 with six homers and 14 RBIs in 53 games for New York in 2026. His departure clears a spot on the active roster for outfielder Heliot Ramos, acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
Chivilli, 24, blew a lead in the eighth inning on Monday, serving up three homers, five hits and six runs in one inning. He went 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 15 games with the Yankees.
