Yankees' George Lombard Jr, replacing embattled Anthony Volpe, mashes home run for first hit in MLB debut

The highly anticipated major league debut for New York Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. couldn’t have gone any better on Tuesday night in the Bronx.

And while it’s just one game, it may be hard for Yankees fans not to think the shortstop torch has been passed from Anthony Volpe, who has struggled to find consistency over the past four seasons, to the 21-year-old No. 1 prospect in the team’s farm system.

Volpe was once that top prospect when he came up before the start of the 2023 season, where he was named the shortstop of the future. But in the middle of his fourth season, where he’s slashed just .240/.325/.322 across 56 games, he was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a slew of moves by the Yankees’ front office.

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Replacing him at shortstop is Lombard, the son of former big leaguer and current Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard, who Yankees fans have been waiting to see make his debut.

Well, Lombard shined under the bright Yankee Stadium lights, as his first career hit was a solo home run off St. Louis Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins.

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After grounding out in his first career at-bat, Lombard quickly adjusted on an 0-2 hanging breaking ball from Dobbins, and didn’t miss a stitch as it flew over the left field fence. The Yankee Stadium crowd went into a frenzy, understanding just what that moment meant.

Yankees captain Aaron Judge and the rest of the dugout were just as excited, as Lombard gave a shout of excitement as he rounded the bases to make it a 2-0 ball game.

As the Yankees got the victory at home, 2-0, Lombard finished his night at the plate 1-for-2 with a walk. He also became the 14th Yankees player to ever mash a home run for his first career major league hit.

But the bat power wasn’t the only thing Lombard showcased on Tuesday night. If anything, it was just an added bonus to what he did at his position in the field.

Yankees fans have been used to inconsistent defensive play by Volpe over the last four seasons. While he made some incredible plays, it was the routine ones that turned into head-scratching errors.

Lombard, though, couldn’t have looked more comfortable. His first action was a nifty double play started after ranging to his right, backhanding a grounder and throwing it to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. all in one motion for the turn.

From there, Lombard dealt with some hard-hit grounders without any qualms and even turned a double play himself when he grabbed a grounder up the middle, stepped on the bag, and threw to first base in one motion to end an inning.

Again, this is just the first game for Lombard. But it’s the type of start fans hoped for when they heard he got the call.

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