Aaron Boone opens up about George Lombard Jr. as he begins to look more and more like Anthony Volpe
Lombard Jr.’s recent errors have raised concerns about his development.
George Lombard Jr. has been one of the biggest surprises for the New York Yankees since his promotion to the Major Leagues, but the young shortstop is going through a difficult defensive stretch that has raised some concerns while bringing back memories of Anthony Volpe ’s early struggles at the position.
The 21-year-old prospect has committed four errors over his last four games, a stretch that manager Aaron Boone addressed before Tuesday’s matchup against the Houston Astros , although he downplayed the rookie’s recent struggles.
Aaron Boone backs George Lombard Jr.
“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.
Despite the recent mistakes, the Yankees remain fully confident in Lombard. The organization understands that he is still adapting to the Major League level, especially considering he is only 21 years old and entered Tuesday’s game with just 17 career MLB appearances.
His offensive performance has also been one of the main reasons New York remains so optimistic about his future.
Lombard is hitting .288/.348/.407 in 66 plate appearances and has hit two home runs since reaching the big leagues. While he still has room to improve defensively, his offensive ability has shown that he could become an important piece for the Yankees moving forward.
The Bronx Bombers are currently just 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the division lead, keeping their hopes alive of winning the AL East .
For now, New York’s focus remains on the present: finding consistency during the final stretch of the season and continuing to develop a George Lombard Jr. who, despite his recent mistakes, is still viewed as one of the franchise’s key pieces for the future.
