'His uniform doesn't fit the same as it used to': Changes to body, stance have Lombard on doorstep of Bronx

The Yankees organization believed that the glove of George Lombard Jr. was big league-ready last year, it was just his bat -- and baserunning -- that needed to catch up to it.

That gap appears to be vanishing by the day, and the organization has taken notice as the top-ranked Yankees prospect was promoted to the Minors' highest level on Wednesday.

The progress is no fluke. Lombard Jr. went to work during the offseason with a group of instructors that included his personal hitting coach, Ricardo Sosa, as well as the Yankees' director of hitting, Jarret DeHart, and the committee found something in the 20-year-old's batting stance that they opted to modify. The adjustment finds Lombard Jr. on the doorstep of the Bronx.

"I went into the offseason and I really wanted to dig deep and learn myself. Learn my swing, learn my tendencies, learn what works for me and what doesn’t work," Lombard Jr. said. "So we worked closely together and found the position of my hands, moving them up to where they are now, is something that looked, and to me, felt really comfortable and helped me get to my spot more consistently. So, a combination of that and a little trial-and-error and that's what stuck."

Lombard Jr. returned to the Double-A level after a solid showing in his third big league camp for the Yankees this spring and opened the year on a tear. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound righty swinger homered as part of a career-best five-hit performance on Opening Day and notched 17 hits through his first 10 games -- including eight for extra bases and five multihit efforts.

On the season, he's slashing .312/.400./571 with four dingers, eight doubles, 18 runs scored, 10 RBIs, 12 walks and four stolen bases in 20 games -- significant strides from when he batted .215/.337/.358 in 108 games with Double-A Somerset a season ago.

"His uniform doesn't fit the same as it used to, he's a little bit more physical now," said Somerset skipper James Cooper, who also managed Lombard Jr. for 24 games at the start of the 2025 season at High-A Hudson Valley. "I think everyone has noticed the stance change and I think that's really helping him.

"You know, guys want to get to the big leagues as quickly as possible, but George is one of those guys who doesn't want to get there without making sure he hasn't missed a step in what he needs. So, we're doing everything we can to make sure all of our guys get everything they need so that when they get there they can stay there."

MLB's No. 27 overall prospect improved his OPS (.971), wRC+ (154), batting average on balls in play (.364), ISO (.260) and walk-to-strikeout ratio (0.63) from a year ago. In the field, Lombard Jr. continued to flex his versatility and elite glove, lining up at the hot corner for seven games and committing a single error over 48 total chances (.944 fielding percentage) to start the campaign.

The organization remains confident that no matter what challenges they present the Gulliver Prep (Fla.) product with or how high the expectations get for him, he will rise to the moment.

"I think his foundation starts at home, his family has prepared him for this," Cooper said of the son of former Major League player and coach George Lombard. "Just having an understanding, knowing the difference between your reputation and your character. He makes good decisions on and off the field. It doesn’t matter to him that he’s our No. 1 prospect, he’s still going about his business the way it needs to be handled."

And in terms of where he sees his own future, it's no surprise that Lombard Jr. isn't looking beyond his next step at Triple-A.

"I don’t know what the future holds, there are millions of possibilities, so I don’t think too far in advance, so just play the game and whatever happens is gonna happen," he said. "But I’ll be ready to help that team [in the Bronx] when the time comes."