Yankees Insider Projects George Lombard Jr. Promotion After Oswaldo Cabrera Injury

The New York Yankees took a loss in Seattle on Tuesday night but their roster suffered a bigger one on Monday.

While trying to score on a sacrifice fly from Aaron Judge, Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera suffered a gruesome ankle injury that ultimately sent him to the hospital. The team has ruled that to be a left ankle fracture and the history of those injuries suggests Cabrera could be out for the season.

In the immediate aftermath, the Yankees slotted Oswald Peraza in at second base. And the team brought back DJ LeMahieu, who is capable of playing several infield spots. But calls are mounting for a more significant solution.

“The Yankees aren’t sure the 36-year-old, oft-injured LeMahieu is ready to be an everyday player again,” per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “And Peraza shouldn’t be the solution at third base. He’s a strong defender, but the Yankees have shown no confidence in his ability to hit in the majors, despite showing pop in the minors.”

Evaluating the team’s other options, Kuty highlighted some potential trade candidates, like Willi Castro of the Minnesota Twins and Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs. But he ruled out an immediate promotion for top prospect George Lombard Jr., while projecting that the teenager could become the Yankees’ third-base solution as soon as next season.

“The organization promoted 19-year-old top prospect George Lombard Jr. to Double-A Somerset last week, but it would be asking too much to expect him to perform in the majors right now, despite all the praise he’s drawn inside and outside the organization,” Kuty added. “It still feels unlikely that the Yankees would trade for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado, considering they had little interest in him in the offseason, and since it’s not out of the question that Lombard could be the Yankees’ starting third baseman as early as next season.”

Lombard recently shot up MLB.com’s overall prospect rankings, taking the largest jump of any player in an update to those standings. While it seems too early for Yankees fans to count on seeing him with the big-league club as a replacement for Cabrera, they might not have to wait much longer.

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