Following weeks — or months — of uncertainty, the Yankees finally landed on their starting catcher the rest of the season.
It’s Austin Wells.
It was no secret the Yankees wanted to acquire a right-handed-hitting catcher by Monday’s trade deadline.
With Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers seemingly off the market and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman going to Boston, the Yankees were left with the same setup they had going into the deadline: Wells and Ali Sánchez splitting time behind the plate the rest of the way.
General manager Brian Cashman said the “limited opportunity” to trade for a catcher helped lead to the Yankees staying put.
He acknowledged again the team has struggled offensively for much of the season — especially at catcher.
But he also added the team has been encouraged by Wells’ improved results over the past month.
“I think Austin has got his offense going the past month,” Cashman said. “It’s a much more successful version and much closer version to what he’s capable of. I hope he’s trending in the right direction.”
Then Wells went out and had a pair of hits — including a two-run homer — in the Yankees’ 13-7 loss to the Cardinals.
Wells said he was unaffected by the vote of confidence the Yankees showed in him, saying his approach to his game would be “the same either way. I have no control on that [trade situation].”
Cashman praised Wells’ defense and handling of the pitching staff.
In his past 16 games, Wells has an OPS of .973, with four homers.
Prior to that stretch, the lefty-hitting Wells had a paltry .468 OPS in his first 62 games and he still had the worst OPS of any player with at least 250 plate appearances (.537).
“He does possess a lot of potential with that bat,” Cashman said. “Hopefully he’s able to tap into it and save his best for the rest of the way.”
It’s the latest twist for Wells, who was drafted by the Yankees as a bat-first catcher and remained one throughout his minor league career.
Many outside the organization believed Wells would wind up moving out from behind the plate.
Instead, Wells became a solid pitch-framer and the Yankees value his ability to game-plan against hitters — but his offense has declined steadily.
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Earlier in the season, he was sidelined by cervical headaches.
He said he’s seeing the ball better since his return, which has helped lead to his uptick at the plate.
“The last three or four weeks, he’s moved the needle back to who he can be and that’s a real presence at the bottom of the order, with some power,” manager Aaron Boone said.
