Yankees Promote Lombard Jr., Demote Volpe to Triple-A
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- The Yankees plan to call up top prospect George Lombard Jr. on Tuesday after optioning shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per a source.
- The club also optioned outfielder Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A following Monday's 13-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals to make room for Heliot Ramos, acquired earlier in the day from the San Francisco Giants.
- Lombard, 21, is batting .268 with six home runs and an .845 OPS in 56 Triple-A games; since returning from a mid-June finger sprain, he's hit .377 with a 1.081 OPS across 14 games and 65 plate appearances.
- GM Brian Cashman told reporters Monday the team pursued a shortstop before the trade deadline but couldn't reach a deal, saying, "we like the players we have and we like the players we have on the come."
- Volpe, 25, hit .240 with one homer and a .646 OPS in 56 games this season; his career .660 OPS ranks 155th among 158 hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances since 2023.
- Lombard is expected to play shortstop but has also started 11 games at third base this season; the plan to promote him was first reported by YES Network.
Why it matters: The Yankees couldn't land a shortstop at the trade deadline, so they're turning to a 21-year-old prospect still proving himself at Triple-A. Volpe's offense ranks 155th among 158 qualified hitters since 2023, and Dominguez — optioned despite playing regularly in Aaron Judge's absence — hit just .230 this season.
