Yankees George Lombard Jr. doubles off Zack…
George Lombard Jr. continues to show himself succesful against MLB’s elite.
The 20-year-old Yankees prospect went 2-for-4 with two RBIs — with a booming double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler — in the Double-A Somerset Patriots’ 9-6 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday.
Wheeler, making his fourth rehab start with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate as he recovers from surgical procedures for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome, retired Lombard on a strikeout and a flyout in his first two plate appearances.
In the underside of the sixth, however, Lombard ripped the first pitch he noticed to right-center for an RBI double, giving Somerset its first run of the sport.
He added an RBI single in the seventh to prolong Somerset’s lead to 7-3.
The three-time All-Star, who struck out 9 and allowed three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, spoke glowingly about Lombard’s potential.
George Lombard Jr. hits a double off Zack Wheeler. MLB Pipeline/X
“He was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters after his outing at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., per The Trentonian. “You may inform he’s a good, strong child. He has a good bat path. He’s gonna be a good participant.
“Hopefully I don’t have to face him too much.”
Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ top prospect coming into the season, Lombard’s offense has begun to match his defensive prowess.
He entered Tuesday in the midst of a torrid seven-game stretch, slashing .464/.531/.857 with two home runs and 4 RBIs.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard is building on an spectacular spring training, which included hitting a homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and persevering with to impress Yankees brass with his defensive skill. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard is building on an spectacular spring training, which included hitting a homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
“It’s always good getting to face the elite guys in the league,” Lombard said at the time. “I was excited for it. Looking for something to hit, not trying to do too much with it and put a good swing on it.”
Lombard continued to stand out defensively at shortstop, with workforce brass expressing confidence in his future once he confirmed enchancment with the bat.
“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said in March about Lombard’s development. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Lombard, a natural shortstop, confirmed versatility on Tuesday as he made his skilled start at third base to make means for shortstop Anthony Volpe, who started a rehab task as he nears a return to The Bronx.
Volpe went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, and made one throw to first base on a groundball before being lifted in the sixth inning — as Lombard shifted back to shortstop.
Volpe echoed Wheeler’s feedback in praising Lombard’s talents on both sides of the ball.
“I thought he looked great,” Volpe said postgame. “He made great performs in the sphere, good at-bats and smoked that ball to proper [field].
“He’s a really hard worker, really great kid. It’s gonna be really exciting.”
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