On the same Sunday afternoon the Yankees lost Cody Bellinger to the IL and recalled Spencer Jones, beat reporter Bryan Hoch asked publicly whether George Lombard Jr. should be promoted — with a rival scout answering yes. The roster math, for the first time, makes it a real question.

Cody Bellinger strained his left hamstring rounding first base in the eighth inning of Saturday's win over Philadelphia, and by Sunday afternoon he was on the 10-day IL, Spencer Jones was on a plane from Scranton, and Bryan Hoch — who covers the Yankees for MLB.com and does not tend toward speculation — had posted a question that until recently would have felt premature: should New York promote George Lombard Jr. right now?

He had a scout behind it.

"I wouldn't expect much offense quickly, but I've seen his raw power," a rival evaluator told Hoch on Sunday. "He would give you exceptional defense. He's an accurate thrower and an exceptional baserunner. I would bat him near the bottom of the order. He will give you consistent at-bats. I see him as the Yankees' shortstop of the future."

That is not a scouting report that wins the offense argument. The scout said so himself. What it does argue is that the floor at shortstop — with Anthony Volpe hitting .050 in two-out, runners-in-scoring-position plate appearances this season — is survivable if Lombard Jr.'s glove and legs are what scouts say they are.

The harder argument has always been the roster, not the scouting. Lombard Jr., who has been at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, is not on the Yankees' 40-man. Calling him up requires a move — and triggering his service-time clock as a union player costs the team a potential year of control down the road.

Except the roster just got more fluid. Jones was recalled Sunday in the corresponding move for Bellinger. The Yankees have been widely reported to intend to use Jones as a trade chip before the July 31 deadline. If Jones moves, a 40-man spot opens. Jasson Domínguez, also reported to be available, is another. The math that made a Lombard Jr. call-up complicated four days ago is the same math that could become straightforward by Thursday morning.

The broader context is grim enough to make the question serious. Aaron Judge has been on the IL with a right rib stress fracture since June 2. In 45 games without him, the Yankees have posted an 89 wRC+ — tied for fourth-worst in the league over that span, per MLB Trade Rumors. Bellinger, the lineup's most reliable piece at .259/.350/.420 with a 119 wRC+ and 3.0 fWAR, is now gone until at least after the deadline. Jones, his temporary replacement, is hitting .224 with a 40.7% strikeout rate in his 86 major-league plate appearances this year.

Against all that, a below-the-order shortstop who the scout calls a "consistent at-bat" and an exceptional defender is not a solution. It is, however, a reasonable piece. When the beat reporter starts asking the question openly and a rival scout answers yes, the Yankees front office has already heard it.

The deadline is Thursday. The 40-man is moving. The question is no longer theoretical.