Yankees have a clear trade alternative to keep George Lombard Jr.

New York Yankees On SI · Jul 21, 2026 23:00 · 3 min read

Yankees Have a Clear Trade Alternative to Keep George Lombard Jr. — New York Yankees infielder George Lombard Jr (96) hits a two-RBI double during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There may be a way for the New York Yankees to keep George Lombard Jr. while also landing a big fish at the trade deadline.

If the New York Yankees were to offer up George Lombard Jr. in trade talks, it would increase their chances of landing any of the big names that could be available by the August 3rd deadline. That could be any one of Mason Miller, Shea Langeliers, or Hunter Goodman. Lombard is the 46th-ranked prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America, but he also isn't the only shortstop on that list.

The other is Dax Kilby, whom the Yankees drafted in the first round out of Newnan High School in 2025. He is ranked 61st.

At this point in Kilby's young pro career, he doesn't have the name or flash that Lombard does, but he quickly exhibited his skills once he started getting into games. Straight out of high school, Kilby hit .353/.457/.441 in 18 games at the Single-A level last year. His underlying numbers showed that this wasn't some fluke hot streak, either.

In 2025, Kilby had an average exit velocity of 91.9 MPH and a 45.6% hard hit rate. He also showed excellent bat-to-ball skills, displaying a 16% walk rate and 13.6% strikeout rate. More walks than whiffs is impressive for a player who wasn't long removed from their senior prom.

The downside of Kilby was that he was injured this year. Kilby didn't have a chance to showcase his skills the way he did in 2025, but a hamstring injury shouldn't hamper teams' pursuit of him.

Dealing Kilby in Lombard's place

Making Lombard available would help the Yankees in the short term, but right now, it does seem like he's in their immediate plans. Joel Sherman reported that they could call him up at some point this summer.

If that is the case and he truly is untouchable, while Kilby doesn't yet have Lombard's value, any team should be intrigued by a speedy shortstop with pop. That's a solid skill set, and he isn't legally old enough to drink.

A team such as the San Diego Padres could find Kilby to be intriguing. They could use an upgrade to their shortstop situation, too.

The 19-year-old Jorge Quintana is their top shortstop prospect, but he hasn't cracked Baseball America's Top 100 the way Kilby has. Then, at the big league level, Xander Bogaerts is their shortstop, but it does feel like they would be more than happy to move off of him. Bogaerts has largely been a disappointment since signing with San Diego, and they have long since removed Fernando Tatis Jr. from the position.

San Diego Padres Mason Miller (22) speaks before the home run derby at Citizens Bank Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

You could see the Padres intrigued by Kilby, even if they would prefer Lombard. Kilby could be part of a Mason Miller deal, along with the other top-five prospects in the organization, such as Elmer Rodríguez, Ben Hess, or Carlos Lagrange. A Miller trade would probably also include Will Warren or a Ryan Weathers reunion.

If the Yankees could walk out of this deadline with a star without having to deal Lombard, consider it a success. Dealing Kilby is one way of making that happen.