New York Post
· collected 2026-10-07 · by Mark W. Sanchez
In the recent games against the Tampa Bay Rays during their playoff series, Yankees rookies George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones have struggled, contributing to the team's poor performance. Lombard made critical errors in Game 2 that allowed runs to score, including a play where he deflected a ball off his glove while attempting a hurried throw to home plate. Meanwhile, Jones went hitless in seven at-bats against Tampa Bay and has only two hits in fifteen postseason attempts with seven strikeouts. Both players acknowledged their mistakes but attributed some of the difficulties to adapting to Tropicana Field's unique playing conditions.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In October, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones, two rookie players for the Yankees, have struggled against the Tampa Bay Rays. Against the Rays, both made significant mistakes: Lombard had one play ruled as an error (though it could've been assigned to Luis García Jr.), and another that allowed a run; while Jones went hitless in seven at-bats with seven strikeouts in 15 postseason attempts. The Yankees are on the brink of elimination after losing two games to the Rays, combining for four errors in a 5-2 loss. Lombard acknowledged, "It was just one of those games where things kind of compiled and stacked up on top of each other."
Written for “Yankees Rookies Struggles” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Momentum and narratives swing wildly in October.
asserted
Momentum → swing → October
Against the Red Sox, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones looked like the present and future of the Yankees.
asserted
Jr. → look → Yankees
In two games against the Rays, they have looked like rookies.
asserted
they → look → rookies
have had plenty of company on a team that has neither hit nor won, but Lombard and Jones have been part of the problem for a Yankees club on the brink of elimination.
asserted
Lombard → have → elimination
For Lombard, the largest issue was two plays in the Game 2 loss — one deemed an error (even if the error could have been assigned to Luis García Jr.) and the other generously ruled a fielder’s choice that allowed a run to score.
uncertain
run → deem → choice
Jones had his own questionable play in right field Monday, but the bigger problem is the slugger going hitless in seven at-bats against Tampa Bay and now being 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts in the postseason.
asserted
slugger → have → postseason
“It was just one of those games where things kind of compiled and stacked up on top of each other,” Lombard said after the team combined for four errors in the 5-2 loss.
asserted
team → compile → loss
The worst moment for Lombard — who went 4-for-8 against Boston and has gone 0-for-7 against Tampa Bay, albeit with some hard-hit outs — came in Monday’s fifth inning.
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who → go → inning
With one out and Junior Caminero on third and the Yankees trailing 2-1, Chandler Simpson tapped one softly to shortstop.
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Simpson → trail → shortstop
Lombard charged, attempted to field on the backhand and rush a throw to the plate, but even as his arm was beginning his throw, the ball deflected off his glove.
asserted
ball → charge → glove
Probably contributing to the play was that the 21-year-old had not played at Tropicana Field before this series
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old → contribute → series
“I wouldn’t say tough.
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I → say → ?
It’s definitely different,” Lombard said of the turf.
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Lombard → ’ → turf
“But we went out there in practice and kind of tried to get accustomed to it.
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we → go → it
But it’s different than other fields.
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it → ’ → fields
But that’s the same thing with every other stadium — everyone’s going to play different.”
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everyone → ’ → stadium
His next mistake was less field dependent: Two batters later, Jonny DeLuca hit a three-bouncer to Lombard, who could not charge it because Simpson cut in front of him on his way to third.
uncertain
Simpson → hit → third
He then had to rush.
asserted
He → have → ?
“I just pulled the throw a little bit,” Lombard said, with García unable to make a stretch and catch on a throw that was not that far offline.
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that → pull → throw
In an inning that should have been over, Richie Palacios then knocked a two-run single that essentially put the game out of reach.
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that → knock → reach
The four-run fifth inning began with Jonathan Aranda smacking a line drive in front of him.
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Aranda → begin → him
Maybe Jones had a chance at charging, diving and making a remarkable grab.
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Jones → have → grab
Maybe an overaggressive Jones would have dove and allowed the ball to get past him.
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ball → dive → him
In reality, Jones did not get a great jump and then played it on a hop for a single.
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Jones → get → single
“Playing it back in my head, I thought I had a good first step,” Jones said.
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Jones → play → step
“I just hesitated, and then that was the difference between making a play and then just trying to keep it in front of me.”
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that → hesitate → me
His manager did not take issue with the play.
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manager → take → play
“There are plenty of others to pick on tonight,” Aaron Boone said after the game.
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Boone → be → game
Easier to pick on have been Jones’ at-bats.
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bats → pick → ?
He looked overmatched against Drew Rasmussen (as did the rest of the lineup), swinging through high fastballs and low changeups on a night he struck out twice and went 0-for-3.
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he → look → 0
Monday, he struck out once, grounded out twice and found some terrible luck with his first well-hit pitch of the series: a towering fly ball to center that bounced off one of the rings high above the field.
asserted
that → strike → field
Alert right fielder in Victor Mesa Jr. ran over and caught the ricochet.
“I didn’t know what happened,” Jones said.
asserted
Jones → run → ricochet
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