Source: Yankees to call up top prospect George Lombard Jr. - ESPN

NEW YORK — The Yankees plan on calling up top prospect George Lombard Jr. on Tuesday after optioning shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A, a source told ESPN late Monday night.

The club also optioned outfielder Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Monday's 13-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals to make room on the active roster for outfielder Heliot Ramos, whom the Yankees acquired from the San Francisco Giants earlier in the day.

Lombard, 21, started the season in Double-A before reaching Triple-A in late April. He is batting .268 with six home runs and a .845 OPS in 56 games at that level. He was sidelined for nearly a month after spraining two fingers on his left hand in mid-June and has been hot at the plate in 14 games since his return, batting .377 with a 1.081 OPS in 65 plate appearances.

Defensively, the Yankees have long considered Lombard big league ready. He is expected to play shortstop in New York but also has started 11 games at third base this season.

The decision to promote Lombard comes after general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Monday that he pursued a shortstop before the trade deadline but could not reach a deal.

«We engaged everybody,» Cashman said. «We tried to evaluate all opportunities in the marketplace. And, with that being said, I don't think there were a lot of opportunities that existed that were upgrades for us. We like the players we have and we like the players we have on the come.»

Lombard's ascent to the majors represents a new chapter at shortstop in the Bronx. Like Lombard, Volpe was the Yankees' top prospect when they named him their Opening Day shortstop in 2023. Born in Manhattan and raised in New Jersey as a die-hard Yankees fan, Volpe arrived with great