George Lombard Jr. expected to return to Yankees’ lineup on Friday…
ANAHEIM, Calif. — George Lombard Jr. is sort of out of the woods.
The rookie shortstop missed a fourth straight game Wednesday with proper knee inflammation, however the Yankees anticipate he’ll return to the lineup Friday after they open a collection against the Padres at Petco Park.
“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse … but it is trending and looking like that is going to be the case,” supervisor Aaron Boone said Wednesday before the Yankees gained the collection finale at Angel Stadium.
For the third straight day, Lombard was out operating in the outfield before Wednesday’s game, going by means of agility drills and then taking floor balls. He was expected to be an lively participant off the bench, which had not been the case the first few days after he tweaked his knee at the plate in Saturday’s win over the Red Sox.
“It’s been progressing every day,” Lombard said. “There was just a little bit of inflammation in there, so it was just random moves [where I could feel it].”
José Caballero began a fourth straight game in Lombard’s place.
George Lombard Jr. (proper knee) is expected to return to the Yankees’ lineup on Friday evening vs. the Padres. Corey Sipkin for New York Post
Aaron Judge ran the bases Wednesday for the first time in his ramp-up towards a possible return by next week, going from residence to first, first to third and residential to second.
That got here after his common pregame work of throwing and taking defensive reps in proper discipline.
Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake had been ejected in the backside of the tenth inning by first base umpire Junior Valentine after arguing that Vaughn Grissom went round on a examine swing that ought to have been strike three for the first out of the body.
“Well, if you want to call that a check swing,” Boone quipped.
Aaron Boone leaves the dugout after getting ejected in the tenth inning of the Yankees’ 6-3 win over the Angels on Sept. 2, 2026 in Anaheim, Calif. Getty Images
The surging Spencer Jones began in middle discipline against lefty Reid Detmers on Wednesday, with Heliot Ramos in proper discipline and Trent Grisham on the bench.
“I think Spencer’s earned the right to be in there too, so it made the most sense to me today to go this —way,” Boone said before the rookie had a uncommon off evening, going 0-for-4 in the Yankees’ win over the Angels on Wednesday evening.
Jones had been on a tear of late, with Grisham struggling, however the lefty slugger has also dealt with himself effectively against lefties.
Jones entered Wednesday batting .400 with a 1.161 OPS in 40 plate appearances against southpaws.
“I think with lefties, you got to keep a simple approach, and I’m not really trying to do too much against those guys,” Jones said. “It’s also one of those things where I just treat them like every other pitcher and just try to get a good pitch to hit.”
Asked if he expects Jones to be in middle more often than not against lefties transferring ahead, Boone said “not necessarily.”
Yankees Merch Shop
New York Post receives income from affiliate and promoting partnerships for sharing this content and while you make a purchase order.
“I’m taking it day by day, series by series and who’s on the mound,” Boone said. “Could be, but not necessarily.”
Clarke Schmidt made his second rehab look Wednesday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 4 days after his first, as he tries to end off his comeback from Tommy John surgical procedure to assist the Yankees bullpen down the stretch.
Schmidt threw 23 pitches across two innings, hanging out three while giving up a run on three hits.
Stay up to date with the latest action and trending tales from the world of sports activities! C-lebrity.com brings you the freshest sports activities news, highlights, and knowledgeable insights — all fastidiously curated to hold you informed and engaged. From major league updates to inspiring athlete tales, we cowl it multi function place.
Visit C-lebrity.com daily for complete coverage of the games, tournaments, and sporting moments that matter most — your final source for every part sports activities and leisure.