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Brian Cashman looking down

The New York Yankees find themselves out of first place in the American League East, primarily due to a four-game sweep at the hands of the now first-place Toronto Blue Jays last week.

They remain postseason contenders as the All-Star break and trade deadline approach, but general manager Brian Cashman knows there’s plenty of work to be done. The Yankees need an infielder, bullpen help, and potentially, a starting pitcher after losing Clarke Schmidt for the season due to Tommy John Surgery.

With three weeks remaining until the deadline, the pressure is building on New York to improve the roster. Still, how much can the club accomplish without a top-of-the-line farm system? Also, the Yankees must consider which prospects they value, and who is expendable.

Yankees Should Hold on to George Lombard Jr.

As the New York Yankees’ top prospect, shortstop George Lombard Jr. is a player who can help the Major League team soon.

Lombard began the season at High-A Hudson Valley and received a promotion to Double-A Somerset at the beginning of May. On Monday, Clutch Points’ Russell Steinberg listed the youngster as one of two prospects the Yankees should not trade at this year’s deadline.

“A 20-year-old infielder, Lombard had a .983 OPS in 24 games with the Renegades with 11 stolen bases and a .329 batting average,” wrote Steinberg. “So far with the Patriots, the speed has translated (14 steals, three triples), but the hitting hasn’t (.204 BA, .647 OPS). That’s not a worry yet, however, as he still projects to be an above-average hitter.”

Lombard received praise from Yankees captain Aaron Judge during spring training for his work ethic on defense and how he carries himself on and off the field. He is still a few years away from making his MLB debut, with MLB Pipeline estimating his arrival in the Major Leagues in 2027.

Former Vanderbilt University Standout Draws Judge Comparisons

When the New York Yankees selected outfielder Spencer Jones with the 25th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, the tall and built lefty drew comparisons to Judge. Not only is Jones similar in size to the 62-home run slugger, but he’s having the best season of his minor league career thus far.

In nine games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Vanderbilt University product is hitting .371/.467/.800 with four homers and a 1.267 OPS. There are obvious concerns about his strikeout rate, as he went down on strikes 200 times in 544 plate appearances last season at Double-A Somerset.

“While the Yankees don’t need to fast-track him [Jones] to the major leagues with Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Jasson Dominguez, and Cody Bellinger all producing in the outfield, Jones has the potential to add more pop to the Yankees’ lineup,” wrote Steinberg.

“He can also slide into an outfield spot if the Yankees move Grisham at the deadline. He’s a free agent at the end of the year and is having — by far — the best offensive season of his career so far.”

Alongside Lombard, Steinberg views Jones as a prospect the Yankees should keep out of trade talks.

“Though Dominguez projects as the better hitter long term, Jones is the better centerfield prospect, per MLB.com,” Steinberg wrote. “The Yankees should hold on to him, see what he can produce this season if needed, and have an elite offensive outfield locked in for years to come.”

For now, the two prospects are just that. Prospects. Time will tell if their performances in the minors can translate to the major leagues with the Yankees.

Conor Liguori is a sports journalist covering the MLB for Heavy Sports. Conor has covered professional baseball leagues like the KBO, NPB, CPBL, and the LBPRC in Puerto Rico. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University. More about Conor Liguori

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