New York Yankees Announce George Lombard Jr. Move During Diamondbacks Series

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 23: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a RBI double hit by Spencer Jones #78 (not pictured) during the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 23, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The New York Yankees secured a 9-2 series-opening victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Now, they’re once again back in action on Saturday evening with right-handed ace and AL Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler on the mound for the Yankees, while the Diamondbacks will have righty Brandon Pfaadt pitching.

Ahead of the matchup, manager Aaron Boone didn’t make any major changes to his starting lineup, but he did make some notable changes to his batting order.

Yankees Announce George Lombard Jr. Move

With outfielder Spencer Jones getting the day off and veteran Paul Goldschmidt out of the lineup after leading off on Friday, rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. is moving up in the batting order.

After hitting seventh in the series opener, Boone is placing Lombard Jr. in the five-hole Saturday, while Heliot Ramos bats cleanup and Ben Rice moves back into the leadoff role.

Cody Bellinger and Luis Garcia Jr. will remain in their normal roles, hitting second and third.

Here’s the full Yankees lineup:

Via Underdog MLB: “Yankees 9/19 B. Rice DH C. Bellinger LF L. García Jr. 1B H. Ramos RF G. Lombard Jr. SS A. Wells C A. Volpe 2B R. McMahon 3B J. Caballero CF C. Schlittler SP.”

Yankees 9/19

B. Rice DH
C. Bellinger LF
L. García Jr. 1B
H. Ramos RF
G. Lombard Jr. SS
A. Wells C
A. Volpe 2B
R. McMahon 3B
J. Caballero CF

C. Schlittler SP

— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 19, 2026

Lombard Jr.’s 2026 Season

Since the Yankees called him up on Aug. 4, Lombard Jr. has exceeded expectations and made an immediate impact for New York.

He’s appeared in 35 games and has gone 29-for-124 with 19 runs, four home runs, and 15 RBIs while hitting .234 with a .371 slugging percentage and a .663 OPS.

Looking at the Yankees

New York enters Saturday with an 89-64 overall record and currently holds the top Wild Card spot, which would set them up to host a Wild Card series at home in the Bronx.

That said, they’re just 4.0 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East and the No. 1 overall seed in the AL, with an upcoming four-game set against the Rays this week.