On Aug. 4, George Lombard Jr. stunned all of baseball with his remarkable MLB debut.
Sending out a home run in the middle of the game, the 21-year-old made an impressive name for himself.
Stars across the league have been noticing Lombard, including Aaron Judge.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge Comments on George Lombard Jr.
GettyGeorge Lombard Jr. of the New York Yankees earned high praise from slugger Aaron Judge
As reported by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Judge, too, was blown away by Lombard’s performance.
“It was incredible,” said Judge, per Hoch. “Seeing him in Spring Training, you see the tools, you see how he carries himself and the personality. He’s got it all. So for him to go out there and get a chance to finally live out his dream, it’s pretty impressive. I’m glad he’s up here doing his thing.”
At the time of this writing, Lombard is slashing .333/.429/.833 with a 1.262 OPS through his two Major League games. So far, he’s recorded one homer and one RBI.
As reflected by his minor league stat sheet, he is slashing .284/.411/.498 with a .909 OPS and 12 homers through 78 games. He’s logged 24 doubles, one triple and 33 RBIs in that period.
Following Lombard’s debut, he shared his excitement with the media.
As further reported by Hoch, Lombard explained, “I feel like I’m blessed to be in that situation, where I have those expectations and have goals to meet. I really just try to block that out, acknowledge the situation that I’m in, and then just focus on my work. I do my work and kind of let those things figure themselves out.”
As for Judge, he remains out of commission on the IL, left to watch the games unfold from the sidelines.
His latest injury report from Aug. 5 states, “Cleared for light exercises, including outdoor running and upper-body resistance training, after undergoing imaging Aug. 4. Performed on-field running Aug. 5. Rib is not completely healed but this is a first step toward baseball activities; Judge has not swung a bat since May 31.”
Where the Yankees Stand Right Now
GettyAaron Judge of the New York Yankees remains out on the IL
New York’s IL has claimed notable victims this season — Judge, albeit a significant loss, is only one of them.
Long ago, the Yankees lost their lead in the American League East. Their overall record of 64-51 places them below the Tampa Bay Rays (68-46).
However, the Boston Red Sox (53-51) and creeping up. The Baltimore Orioles (56-59) and the Toronto Blue Jays (54-62) are quite far away.
New York is coming off a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 5, and they’re now preparing to face the Atlanta Braves on Friday, Aug. 7, at 7:05 p.m. ET.
This three-game series is being held at Yankee Stadium.
The Braves are currently 70-45 overall, which puts them in first place in the National League East. They are far above the Philadelphia Phillies, who are second at 62-54 overall.
This has been a strong season for the Braves — the Yankees are likely to face a tough battle this weekend.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Sends Strong Message on George Lombard Jr.