Source: Yankees to call up top prospect George Lombard Jr.

NEW YORK -- The Yankees plan on calling up top prospect George Lombard Jr. on Tuesday after optioning shortstop Anthony Volpe to Triple-A, a source told ESPN late Monday night.

The club also optioned outfielder Jasson Dominguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Monday's 13-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinalsto make room on the active roster for outfielder Heliot Ramos, whom the Yankees acquired from the San Francisco Giants earlier in the day.

Lombard, 21, started the season in Double-A before reaching Triple-A in late April. He is batting .268 with six home runs and a .845 OPS in 56 games at that level. He was sidelined for nearly a month after spraining two fingers on his left hand in mid-June and has been hot at the plate in 14 games since his return, batting .377 with a 1.081 OPS in 65 plate appearances.

Defensively, the Yankees have long considered Lombard big league ready. He isexpected to play shortstop in New York but also has started 11 games at third base this season.

The decision to promote Lombard comes after general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Monday that he pursued a shortstop before the trade deadline but could not reach a deal.

"We engaged everybody," Cashman said. "We tried to evaluate all opportunities in the marketplace. And, with that being said, I don't think there were a lot of opportunities that existed that were upgrades for us. We like the players we have and we like the players we have on the come."

Lombard's ascent to the majors represents a new chapter at shortstop in the Bronx. Like Lombard, Volpe was the Yankees' top prospect when they named him their Opening Day shortstop in 2023. Born in Manhattan and raised in New Jersey as a die-hard Yankees fan, Volpe arrived with great expectations. He has not fulfilled them.

Volpe hit 21 home runs with 24 steals and won a Gold Glove as a rookie, but his production never took off. His .660 career OPS ranks 155th among 158 hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances since 2023.

He played most of last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder that wasn't revealed until after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery in October to repair the issue. Volpe subsequently began this season on the injured list. He was optioned to Triple-A when he was activated after a rehab assignment May 4. Eight days later, he was called up to the majors and remained there until Monday night, splitting time with Jose Caballero at shortstop.

Volpe, 25, is batting .240 with one home run and a .646 OPS in 56 games this season. His defense returned to a top-tier level after significant regression last season, but the Yankees decided his production did not warrant keeping the promising Lombard in the minors.

Domínguez, another former No. 1 prospect, is batting .230 with six home runs and a .653 OPS this season, failing to capitalize on the opportunity to play regularly inAaron Judge's absence. The switch-hitter began the season in Triple-A before getting called up to the majors in late April. He then missed more than a month because of a shoulder injury sustained when he crashed into the wall at Yankee Stadium in early May.

The plan to call up Lombard was first reported by YES Network.br/]