Yankees' Austin Wells: Gives way to Trevino behind plate
Rotowire
Wells is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Athletics, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
Wells will head to the bench for the fifth time in eight games, with four of those absences coming with the opposition bringing left-handed pitchers to the hill. Though the Yankees seem to be opting for a platoon at catcher between the lefty-hitting Wells and the righty-hitting Jose Trevino, it's possible that Wells moves into a pure backup role or is optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre if he's unable to get going at the plate anytime soon. Wells has mustered a lowly .347 OPS through his first 13 games of the season.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Wells is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
Wells and Jose Trevino have alternated starts behind the plate over the past eight games, and that trend will continue Sunday after Wells went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout Saturday. Wells is hitless in his past 19 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Wells is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians.
Wells is getting a breather after he was behind the plate for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, finishing 0-for-3 with an RBI in the Yankees' 8-2 win. Jose Trevino will draw the start at catcher in the series finale, forming a battery with left-hander Nestor Cortes.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Idle for Game 1
Rotowire
Wells isn't in the Yankees' lineup for Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against Cleveland.
Wells will begin the first game of Saturday's slate in the dugout, though he will likely get the nod behind the dish in the nightcap. In the meantime, Jose Trevino will start against right-hander Carlos Carrasco, batting eighth.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Gets Wednesday off
Rotowire
Wells is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlins.
Wells will be on the bench for the second time in the series with Miami, with both of his absences from the lineup coming against left-handed starting pitchers. Jose Trevino will handle the catching duties for the Yankees on Wednesday.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Out against left-hander
Rotowire
Wells is not in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Marlins, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports.
The Marlins are starting left-hander Jesus Luzardo, so the lefty-hitting Wells will yield to Jose Trevino at catcher. Wells has made six starts at catcher thus far (all against righties), while Trevino has been behind the plate five times (twice versus righties).
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Sitting against left-hander
Rotowire
Wells is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Blue Jays.
It's southpaw Yusei Kikuchi on the bump for Toronto, so the left-handed hitting Wells will yield to Jose Trevino at catcher. Wells and Trevino have split catching duties down the middle for the Yankees thus far, drawing four starts apiece.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Bypassed for Opening Day start
Rotowire
Wells won't be included in the Yankees' Opening Day lineup, with manager Aaron Boone relaying that Jose Trevino will receive the nod behind the plate in Thursday's game against the Astros, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
The lefty-hitting Wells will hit the bench for the season opener, which doesn't come as a major surprise with the righty-hitting Trevino having the platoon advantage in his favor against Astros southpaw Framber Valdez. Though Wells offers a higher-upside bat than Trevino, concerns about the former's defense behind the plate could prompt Boone to take a timeshare approach to the catcher spot when New York faces right-handed pitchers, at least to begin the season.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Makes Opening Day roster
Rotowire
Manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Wells has made the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
The focus for Wells heading into spring training was getting reps behind the plate and showcasing better defense. In addition to doing those things, Wells has also been efficient at the plate, slashing .300/.391/.550 with two home runs and nine RBI over 40 at-bats in spring training. The 25-year-old will begin 2024 as the secondary backstop behind Jose Trevino, with Ben Rortvedt and Jahmai Jones battling it out for a roster spot.
Manager Aaron Boone has praised Wells for his defensive improvement this spring, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Wells is a highlyregarded prospect in the Yankees' system, primarily based on his hit tool and potential to hit for power. His skills profile would stand out particularly well if he can stick at catcher, though his defense has raised questions in the past. The team has given Wells the chance to prove his ability at the position this spring, and he seems to be taking advantage.
Yankees' Austin Wells: Will focus on catching this spring
Rotowire
According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Wells won't work out at any position besides catcher during spring training, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
It's not yet clear who will be the Opening Day catcher for the Yankees, as Jose Trevino provides better defense than Wells but swings a less potent bat and is currently managing a calf strain. Even if Trevino recovers quickly, Wells could very feasibly win the role of primary backstop with a strong spring, and he already showed off his power upside with four homers in 70 at-bats during his first taste of the majors last season. Given the contrasting strengths of Wells and Trevino, it's possible the pair of backstops splits starts behind the plate, which would dent the fantasy value of both players.
Wells went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in Friday's 12-5 loss against the Royals.
Wells launched a three-run shot in the fourth inning and later added an RBI groundout. His four home runs in the majors this season have all come in his last seven games to go along with nine RBI, five runs scored, and a .296 batting average over 27 at-bats.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Wells will sit Saturday against the Royals, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Wells has three homers and eight RBI across his last four games, but his slash line through his first 18 big-league contests still sits at an unimpressive .197/.229/.439. Kyle Higashioka will crouch behind the plate Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Yankees' Austin Wells: Gets breather Wednesday
Rotowire
Wells is absent from the lineup Wednesday at Toronto.
Ben Rortvedt will catch and bat ninth for the visiting Yankees. Wells had made four straight starts behind the plate while going 4-for-15 with two homers and four RBI.
