Yankees Bolster Catching Roster by Signing Garver to Minors

WHO:

MLB.com - The New York Yankees signed veteran catcher Mitch Garver.

MLB.com - George Lombard Jr. is the Yankees’ top prospect and son of former Major League outfielder George Lombard.

WHAT:

MLB.com - The Yankees signed Mitch Garver to a Minor League deal.

MLB.com - Garver recorded a .175/.302/.294 slash line with four home runs in 50 games with Seattle before being released.

MLB.com - Garver was a Silver Slugger winner in 2019 with the Twins, hitting 19 homers and logging a 138 OPS+ in 87 games with the 2023 Rangers.

MLB.com - The Yankees' catchers rank tied for 27th in batting average (.191) and 28th in OPS (.567) this season.

MLB.com - Lombard became the 14th player in franchise history to homer in his Major League debut, and the first since Jasson Domínguez on September 1, 2023.

MLB.com - Lombard was leading all qualified Yankees Minor Leaguers in on-base percentage (.411) and doubles (24) at the time of his promotion.

WHERE:

MLB.com - The signing of Mitch Garver took place in New York.

MLB.com - Lombard's debut occurred in a Major League game.

WHEN:

MLB.com - The Yankees signed Mitch Garver a few days after Monday’s Trade Deadline.

MLB.com - Lombard's Major League debut occurred recently, with a home run in his second plate appearance.

WHY:

MLB.com - The Yankees needed to address their catching position after being unable to find a match before the Trade Deadline.

MLB.com - The decision to promote Lombard was based on his performance in the Minor Leagues and the need for a shortstop in a pennant race.

HOW:

MLB.com - The Yankees opted to bring up Lombard and optioned Anthony Volpe to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

MLB.com - General manager Brian Cashman stated that the scales tipped enough to warrant Lombard's promotion based on his recent performance.

The New York Yankees have signed veteran catcher Mitch Garver to a Minor League deal as they look to improve their struggling catching position, which ranks near the bottom of the league in batting average and OPS. In a related move, the Yankees promoted top prospect George Lombard Jr., who recently made a splash in his Major League debut by hitting a home run in his second plate appearance, becoming the 14th player in franchise history to achieve this feat. Lombard, who was leading all qualified Yankees Minor Leaguers in on-base percentage and doubles at the time of his promotion, has replaced Anthony Volpe, who was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.