There is Yankees relief, but probably not elation, after George Lombard Jr.’s MRI.
Everything is structurally OK within the young shortstop’s right knee, the team and Lombard said Sunday, a day after he exited early following a scare during an awkward check swing.
But Lombard said the scan found “a little inflammation” and there is “soreness in the patella, kneecap area,” which prevented Lombard from being in the lineup for the series finale with the Red Sox in The Bronx.
Manager Aaron Boone again termed Lombard as “day to day” and hoped “he’s back in there soon.” Asked if an injured list stint was a possibility, Lombard said, “As of now, no, but we still don’t really know yet.”
The 21-year-old, who has had an adventurous beginning to his major league career with better-than-expected hitting and a surreal, six-game error streak that is now over, tried to check his swing in his first at-bat of the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader and then immediately grabbed at his back knee.
“Felt something a little off,” said Lombard, who exited the game before the fourth as the knee tightened. “It was kind of one of those weird, freak things where it was kind of a check swing, and then also [trying] to get out of the way of the pitch.”
José Caballero reassumed the job of Yankees shortstop. Anthony Volpe remains at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he has been moving around defensively and debuted at third base Saturday to “expand his profile a little bit,” Boone said.
It added up to Caballero starting at shortstop against the Red Sox with both Amed Rosario (at third) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (at second) playing against lefty Ranger Suarez.
Asked who was the Yankees’ backup infielder if Lombard could not play — the other bench players were Spencer Jones, Ben Rice and Austin Wells — Boone jokingly pointed to a reporter.
“We’ll figure it out,” Boone said.
