The Yankees have had a great offensive surge since George Lombard Jr. was promoted to the MLB, and it looks like his brainstorming sessions with the veterans and coaches are working. His current .286/.343/.397 slash line across 70 plate appearances shows that. So, it is safe to say that Aaron Boone’s expectations are being met. However, when you look at the defensive side, the picture appears a little different.
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He has already committed four errors over his last four games, and Tuesday’s series opener against the Astros brought another mistake. And of course, this didn’t sit well with MLB analyst Dan Clark.
“The Yankees have a bunch of minor leaguers playing infield. Horrendous,” Dan Clark shared via X.
In the very first inning, Jose Altuve hit a grounder straight back that went past Will Warren. It was a routine play for Jazz Chisholm Jr., but instead of fielding the ball cleanly, he slid and pushed it to the right. Lombard fielded it and threw the ball to Luis Garcia Jr. at first base. However, although the throw was intended for Garcia, it was too fast and dropped just before him, making it difficult to catch. Garcia missed it, which allowed Yordan Alvarez to reach third.
What could have been a double play, or at least an out for Altuve, instead resulted in the Yankees getting nothing. As if that wasn’t enough, the Yankees lost the game 7-9.
“I feel like over time he’ll be really good at the routine [plays]. So I think that’s just a little bump in the road,” Boone said before Tuesday’s game.
The 21-year-old’s defensive slump is gradually proving to be more than a minor one. Against the Toronto Blue Jays, Lombard fumbled a grounder from Ernie Clement in the fourth inning that should have resulted in an inning-ending double play.
One game earlier, George Lombard failed to field an eighth-inning ground ball hit by Myles Straw. And these errors are not lost on the MLB analyst Conor Green, who remarked:
“George Lombard is on pace to have 45 errors over the course of 162. Only 7 players have had 40+ errors since 1936…. Everyone needs to pump the brakes on his defensive acumen a bit.”
After his first 17 games in the majors, Lombard had averaged .288 with a .348 OBP and a .755 OPS. The young infielder had also launched two homers and driven in five runs. His 115 wRC+ further highlights his offensive production, showing that he has performed 15% above the league-average hitter.
The Yankees faced a huge challenge at shortstop last year with Anthony Volpe at the helm. The 25-year-old finished 2025 with a league-topping 19 errors. Hence, it was a long-standing call from the fans and analysts to promote Lombard. However, just when he was finally promoted, and Volpe was optioned to the minors, the Yankees’ shortstop woes still seemed far from over.
As of now, the Yankees are 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. With the postseason just a few weeks away, misfielding and errors could spell doom, and the Bronx Bombers have been experiencing the same issues since 2009. Hopefully, Lombard’s “little bump” will end soon.