As George Lombard Jr. prepares to become the youngest player in Yankees history to start a playoff game at shortstop, the rookie reflected on a brief chat he had recently with the player whose legacy still hovers over the position: Derek Jeter. 

Lombard, who spoke with Jeter in the offseason, said they reconnected when Jeter was at the Stadium earlier this month and the Hall of Famer delivered a similar message to the one he gave him months ago. 

“He just said to keep doing what I’m doing,’’ Lombard said Monday. “Just focus on baseball and the game.” 

Lombard has impressed those around him with his ability to do just that, and it’s among the reasons why the Yankees thrust him into this position as quickly as they did. 

When they made that decision less than two months ago, promoting him from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the organization believed he had the maturity to succeed under pressure and would have enough time to prove he could play in the majors. 

All that with the idea that he’d be prepared for just this opportunity. 

“There have been a lot of legends that have played in pinstripes,’’ said Lombard, who turned 21 in June. “It’s cool. I’m hoping to do my job and win some games in the playoffs.” 

Asked how Lombard looked with the Yankees set to take on the Red Sox in the wild-card series, Aaron Boone had a one-word answer: “Ready.” 

“Just watching him go through it all [these] couple of months, how he’s handled himself, how he’s handled success and fallen down, I feel like he’s totally equipped for it,’’ Boone said Monday before the Yankees worked out prior to Tuesday’s Game 1. “You never know how it’s going to go in a game here and there, or a series. Baseball is going to baseball a little bit, but I believe in the skills and the makeup.’’ 

It’s what the Yankees have bet on since drafting him in the first round in 2023 and watching him start to hit after struggling at each level. 

His time in the majors hasn’t been entirely smooth, whether it was the six straight games with an error or a 13-game stretch beginning in late August in which Lombard went 5-for-43 with 16 strikeouts. 

While he seemed built for making the transition to the majors better than most — in part because his father, George, played in the majors and is a longtime major league coach — there’s no guarantee Lombard was going to perform well enough to stay on the roster, let alone start in the playoffs. 

Asked what he’s learned the most since being called up, Lombard said, “Seeing how everything works. The routines and how guys go about their business. Experience the day-to-day, posting every single day and keeping your body in a good place. Dealing with the not-so-good parts, the struggles, not going your way. It’s the mental part of that, experiencing it.” 

And now there’s another learning experience: Yankees-Red Sox in the playoffs. 

“It’s cool,’’ Lombard said. “I got a chance to play them a few weeks ago. I’m excited for it.” 

As someone who grew up around the game, Lombard said of the rivalry between the two teams: “I’ve watched it my whole life, heard it my whole life. Being part of it now is pretty cool. I’m excited to go out there.”