The New York Yankees believe they have dodged a bullet with breakout rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. After he exited the second game of the team’s doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox early with an injury, Lombard Jr. underwent imaging at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
The MRI suggests Lombard Jr.’s injury is minor. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Lombard Jr. will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis going forward.
“He got imaging, I think we’re still waiting to clarify, but it looks like a day-to-day situation,” Boone said. “He felt like it was bugging him a little bit more. Just seeing him in that at-bat and getting down the line, it wasn’t great. Just felt like we needed to get him out of there.”
If Needed, Who Could Replace Lombard Jr.?
After Lombard Jr. exited the game, José Caballero took over at shortstop, and Amed Rosario filled in at third base. If Lombard Jr. ends up needing a stint on the injured list for his knee injury, Boone said Caballero will play shortstop until Lombard returns.
The Yankees could also call up shortstop Anthony Volpe. Lombard Jr. replaced Volpe at shortstop after several months of Volpe struggling offensively and defensively. In his MLB debut, Lombard Jr. homered and made multiple impressive defensive plays that suggested he would be the star shortstop of the Yankees’ future.
But recently, Lombard Jr. made six errors in six consecutive games. Although Lombard Jr.’s standout start to his MLB career has slowly faded, the Yankees want him to remain healthy.
“It’s great news, because he’s been playing really well,” Caballero said about the result of Lombard Jr.’s MRI. “We need the whole group together and healthy.”