For almost the entire season, the daily narrative around the New York Yankees has been dominated by debates about who should start at shortstop: Anthony Volpe or José Caballero? Now, with Monday’s trade deadline in the rearview, the club may have found its solution.Late Monday night, the Yankees promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr. to the majors, a league source told The Athletic. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the roster move was not yet official.To make room for Lombard, the Yankees demoted Volpe, who has mostly underperformed since winning a Gold Glove Award as a rookie in 2023. They also sent down outfielder Jasson Domínguez and reliever Angel Chivilli.They’re also expected to add to the active roster outfielder Heliot Ramos, whom they acquired from the San Francisco Giants on Monday before the trade deadline.Which MLB teams did the most?Levi Weaver and Madison EadesAt just 21 years old, Lombard will become the fifth-youngest Yankee to make his MLB debut when he takes the field Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Yankee Stadium.Only Mickey Mantle, José Rijo, Jasson Domínguez and Stan Javier were younger when they broke into the majors.Lombard was ranked No. 6 overall by The Athletic’s Keith Law in his most recent assessment of the game’s top 75 prospects. He should provide the Yankees with stability at shortstop, especially defensively, though he’s capable of playing all over the infield. He’s widely viewed as the best infield defender in the organization.“Defensively, he’s plug-and-play-ready to go,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in early July.There’s reason to believe Lombard could be impactful offensively, too.With Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, Lombard showed encouraging plate discipline despite being one of the youngest players in the highest level of the minors. In 56 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, Lombard posted an .845 OPS“I think he’s improved a lot offensively this year as a hitter,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said last month in Philadelphia. “He keeps getting better and better. The one thing he does is control the zone and has some power.“He brings a lot of things to the table — good speed, outstanding defense, power and the ability to control the zone. But I feel like his hit-ability improved this year quite a bit from last year to this year.”Aug 4, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms