BALTIMORE — 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.
