[2] He made his MLB debut on April 26, 1986, at the age of 23,[1] entering as a defensive replacement for Ron Hassey behind the plate in the fifth inning.

On his first fielding chance, he committed a throwing error on a stolen base attempt by Brett Butler, and went hitless in his first two at bats in a 3–2 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

He played just five major league games the following year, hitting one single in eight at bats for a .125 average.

[1] Lombardi was traded to the New York Mets with Steve Frey and Darren Reed on December 11, 1987, for Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia.

[2] He made only eighteen appearances with the major league team in 1989, batting .229 with one home run and three RBIs.