The New York Yankees will continue with their current shortstop arrangement for the time being, as the team opted against making a move at the trade deadline. General Manager Brian Cashman stated that "business as usual" will continue, with Anthony Volpe and José Caballero splitting time at the position. As of Monday, the Yankees' shortstops had collectively generated 0.8 bWAR for the season.
While neither Volpe nor Caballero has definitively secured the role, the Yankees believe the solution may be found internally with prospect George Lombard Jr. The 21-year-old, who returned from a finger injury in mid-July, has performed well at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 56 games, he is batting .268 with an .845 OPS. Since his return from the injured list, Lombard has posted a .377 batting average and a 1.081 OPS over 14 games.
Cashman acknowledged that the Yankees considered acquiring shortstop or infield reinforcements but did not find suitable upgrades available. "I don’t think there were a lot of opportunities that existed that were upgrades for us," Cashman said. "We like the players we have and we like the players we have on the come. … It was going to be a high bar."
The Yankees organization holds Lombard in high regard, with club officials frequently praising his makeup and baseball intelligence. Defensively, he is considered ready for the major leagues. Offensively, however, he has required an adjustment period at each minor league level he has reached. If the Yankees intend to establish Lombard as their shortstop, particularly with an eye toward the playoffs, the team may need to call him up soon to allow him sufficient time to adapt before October.
Cashman alluded to discussions regarding a potential trade for pitcher Tarik Skubal, which ultimately did not materialize. He suggested that Lombard might have been part of the asking price, a price the Yankees were unwilling to meet.