In 2023, it seemed this question had been solved for the next decade-plus.
However, the latest heir apparent to Derek Jeter — Anthony Volpe, this time — has not exactly covered himself in glory. After winning the shortstop job in spring training during his rookie season Volpe has put himself firmly on the hot seat moving forward, playing poorly enough to be benched for Jose Caballero a few times last season.
With the current situation in flux due to Volpe’s shoulder injury which will sideline him for the beginning of the 2026 season, further setting back his necessary offensive development, a look at the shortstop position moving forward is necessary.
Here are the candidates to man shortstop for the Bombers for the foreseeable future:
GEORGE LOMBARD JR.
The baseball world is as high on George Lombard Jr. as they’ve been on any Yankee prospect in recent memory. The Yankees’ 2023 first-round pick burst onto the scene in his early minor-league days and established elite-prospect status.
The 20-year-old is MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 prospect after being fast-tracked to Double-A last season. Lombard got off to a scorching start with High-A, posting a .983 OPS in 24 games, earning his promotion to Somerset, however, it was a bit of a learning curve for the youngster once he reached the higher levels. The shortstop posted a .695 OPS in 108 games as his bat still needs some development — normal for a player of his age.
However, as we saw with Volpe, a strong spring can change a lot of things. Lombard is a sure-handed defender and talented baserunner, stealing 35 bags in 132 games. His ETA is 2027, according to Pipeline, but if the bat catches up with the rest of his game, 2026 may not be entirely out of the question.
As it stands, Lombard is the odds-on favorite to man the position for the majority of the foreseeable future.
ANTHONY VOLPE
Yes, he’s clearly still a candidate.
Volpe has seemingly gotten a million chances and he’ll undoubtedly get more. The Yankees can point to his production before his shoulder injury — he owned a .768 OPS before he tore his labrum and ultimately played through it — as data to support their decision to extend the leash of Volpe.
However, despite the reasoning, the facts are the facts. He posted OPS’s below .670 in each of his first three seasons and seemingly took a step back defensively last year. His highly-touted baserunning ability was hardly even a factor last season stealing just 18 bags.
If Volpe can manage to break out offensively and fit the bill of the top hitting prospect reputation he earned in the minors, he still can man the position. However, with three sub-par seasons under his belt and now a delay with his labrum surgery, that seems like a tall mountain to climb.
POTENTIAL OUTSIDE ADDITIONS
Here are potential trade candidates and upcoming free agents.
Nationals SS CJ Abrams — Has been subject to some trade rumors. Posted an OPS above .740 in back-to-back seasons.
Reds SS Elly De La Cruz — A long shot, however, Reds ownership has seemingly been realistic about their ability to pay him.
Angels SS Zach Neto — The Angels are always bad, good players on bad, rebuilding teams are always susceptible to trade.
