Austin Wells found himself out of the Yankees lineup for a second straight game Monday and Aaron Boone didn’t guarantee the catcher would be back behind the plate Tuesday.
“We’ll see,’’ Boone said prior to the Yankees’ 7-6 win against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on Monday.
The move also came after Wells ended up catching four innings in Sunday’s extra-inning loss to the Mets, so Boone said he wanted to get the catcher another day of rest.
Sitting Wells Monday also helped him avoid facing a lefty starter, Toronto’s Patrick Corbin, since Wells has been especially rough versus left-handers, with a .374 OPS against them this season.
His backup, J.C. Escarra, has hit lefties much better.
But Wells’ issues at the plate go well beyond platoon splits.
He entered Monday in another slump, just 3-for-31 with three walks, 14 strikeouts and no extra-base hits in his previous 10 games.
Wells said of his offensive performance: “Terrible. You can read the numbers. They’re not good.”
After hitting 21 homers and 22 doubles last year, Wells has just three homers and one double so far this season, making him virtually unplayable — even as the Yankees remain pleased with his work behind the plate.
The Yankees have been searching for the best way to get the most out of Wells offensively, while increasing the amount of information and decision-making he has to deal with as a catcher.
Unlike some other teams, the Yankees have their catchers call just about every pitch — with input from the dugout — and the team credits Wells with their mostly strong pitching performance this season.
But there’s no denying his output as a hitter has slipped and the Yankees took him in the first round of the 2020 amateur draft out of the University of Arizona in large part because of his powerful lefty swing.
“I’m not getting results,’’ Wells said. “Early [in the season], I hit the ball hard at people [but] got out and took my walks. The last week or so, I’m probably trying to do too much and striking out more than I should be.”
He said the slump “definitely” made it harder to trust his process, but added his underlying numbers have mostly been OK, so he’s sticking with it.
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But his ground-ball rate is up and he’s not hitting as many line drives, which is what’s impacted his lack of power.
“He’s always been a hitter,’’ Boone said. “He’s had some inconsistencies at this level, but he’s hit [here]. … Certainly, the road trip has been a struggle. He’s catching really well. He’s the leader of our [pitching] staff. We expect more out of him offensively.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
