dpBALTIMORE — All Carlos Rodón could do was shake his head and say what every New York Yankees fan was thinking in the moment.
“You’re a bad motherf—er, man,” Rodón said, as he turned to rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr.
Baltimore Orioles infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand had hit a groundball in the hole Tuesday that had an expected batting average of .470. But it was no issue for Lombard, who ranged to his right and fired an off-balance throw for what looked like a routine out.
Derek Jeter made the jump throw famous while playing shortstop for the Yankees. Lombard didn’t need to jump. He didn’t even need to bounce the throw to first. He unleashed enough arm strength to send the ball on a line across the diamond. It was the kind of play that once required Jeter’s acrobatics. For Lombard, his arm was enough.
rodon to lombard: “you’re a bad motherfucker, man” pic.twitter.com/bY2F1k57Dv
— sports live tweeter yadira (@jonmoxIeys) August 18, 2026
“He’s 21 years old in the big leagues and looking like a veteran at shortstop,” second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said.
Lombard has played just 14 games in the majors, and he’s already established himself as a difference-maker defensively. In less than three weeks, Lombard has amassed 7 Defensive Runs Saved, tied for the fifth-most among all shortstops with veteran superstars Mookie Betts and Bobby Witt Jr.
Defensive stats in small samples can be finicky and unreliable, but the eye test matches the metrics: Lombard is the real deal defensively, and Yankees fans can take comfort when the ball is hit his way.
“I think he’s going to be a great defender for years to come,” Yankees infield coach Dan Fiorito said. “I am really confident in that, and I think he is too. You can see the way he’s gone out there and has taken ownership of playing great defense for us and really caring about it on a day-to-day basis.”
Caring about being the best defender possible was drilled into Lombard’s head at an early age. His dad, George Sr., played in parts of six seasons in the majors and currently is the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. But more instrumental to George Jr.’s defensive development might have been his mom, Judy, who would always tell her son that anything that came his way better result in an out.
Mom’s advice paid off. The Yankees have believed Lombard was major-league-ready defensively for several years now. Fans who did not see him play in the minor leagues are now seeing it daily. Yankees manager Aaron Boone compared Lombard’s ability to attack grounders to that of a puma.
“I’ve always been very impressed and almost in awe of how well he plays defense,” Boone said.
George Lombard Jr., whom Aaron Boone likens to a puma, has quickly impressed his teammates and coaches with his defense. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
One reason Lombard might be so gifted defensively is his soccer background. In addition to playing baseball at Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest, Fla., Lombard played four years of soccer as a center back and helped his high school win a state championship a few months before the Yankees selected him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Lombard said his soccer skills helped build his athleticism and fine-tune his footwork. We’ve already seen how he’s used his footwork to take better angles on grounders to make challenging plays look easy.
“To see some plays he makes, just going in different directions, to see the footwork, to be able to adjust for different hops or what the play demands, but then also have the body control to finish the play — I think that’s something you get from playing different sports and being a great athlete,” Fiorito said.
The Yankees have been cautious about heaping immense praise on Lombard for his defense because they believe Anthony Volpe and José Caballero have played the shortstop position well. But anyone who has watched this team all season knows there’s a different level of defense with Lombard at short. Defensive metrics have graded Volpe and Caballero favorably this year, but there’s more comfort when the ball is now hit to shortstop than there was before No. 96’s arrival.
Lombard has delivered offensive results in his limited sample at the plate, but his defense at shortstop will provide him with a solid floor as a valuable player for the Yankees in the years to come. He already knows what it takes to be a high-level defender at shortstop.
“You have to be able to have the mindset of being on the attack and being aggressive that you’re going to get every single ball,” Lombard said. “That is how I play.”
