Despite the Yankees’ ranking second in the AL East with a 28-19 record, manager Aaron Boone still has a few things to worry about. His starting catcher, Austin Wells‘ slump, is one of them. While Wells is doing wonders behind the home plate, ranking among the top catchers in the league, boasting a Defensive Runs Saved of +5, his bat is offering nothing.
The man himself is not hiding about “how bad” his slump has become.
“Not many words to describe how bad I’ve been,” Wells said. “I’ve got to do better to pick the team up.”
The Yankees catcher is currently batting .173 and has belted just 3 HRs so far. No wonder Boone needs to be concerned about. Last year, JC Escarra was optioned to the minors despite hitting .202/.296/.333 with 2 home runs.
Sunday’s series decider of the Subway Series was the latest example of Wells’ struggle. He got 2 at-bats, the first one in the seventh inning with loaded bases and two outs. He swung at the first pitch and produced groundouts. His second at-bat was at the 10th with first and second bases loaded and one out. The Yankees catcher still couldn’t do anything and made a double play, ending the innings.
The most surprising part was how Wells entered the regular season after a dominant WBC. Representing the Dominican Republic, he hit .267 with a double, two home runs, five RBI, and had an OPS of 1.086 across five games. Even if his last year’s figures are compared, the struggle is also evident. Till the Rangers’ series last week, Wells had a dismal .198 with a double, three home runs, five RBI, and a .661 OPS.
Last year at the same time, he slashed .210/.265/.457 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, and 18 RBI.
Now that Wells himself acknowledged his struggle, the Yankees need to think about the solution. Boone was asked if Wells will be benched for a reset. “We’ll see,” Boone said. “As good as [Wells] is behind the plate, I have a lot of faith and trust in J.C. Escarra behind the plate too, what he brings to the table. Obviously, we’ve got to get [Wells] going, want to get him going, because when he’s right, he’s a presence, especially down at the bottom of the order. We’ve got to get him there.”
The Yankees named Escarra, but the team’s catcher issue is more than just Wells. Escarra played as a backup and batted a mere .174 without any home runs. And the worst part is that both Wells and Escarra are left-handed hitters. That leaves the Yankees gasping for roster flexibility. Ben Rice is there as a third catcher, but for the Yankees, he is more of a first baseman.
However, catcher is not the only concern for the Yankees. There’s more like their bullpen.
The Yankees are struggling with their relief corps
The Yankees’ bullpen struggle was nothing new, and it blew a few games last year. They posted a collective 4.37 ERA, ranking as the eighth-worst in MLB. The relief corps struggled with high ERAs, severe command issues, and a lack of late-inning consistency, which forced Boone to heavily rely on a few trusted arms and frequently overtax the pitching staff.
2026 is no different.
Camilo Doval is still struggling with his command and currently stands with a 5.19 ERA. Against the Brewers, Doval was entrusted with the 8th inning in a tie game but allowed Bryce Turang to get on base, steal second, and score on a William Contreras hit, forcing the Yankees into an extra-inning loss. Then Wednesday’s game against the Orioles revealed the struggle. After Max Fried went out with an injury, Paul Blackburn took over and allowed 3 ERs on 2 hits and a pair of walks.
Thus, the Yankees are in urgent need of some new relief names. And a probable reunion might be on the cards.
Former Yankees reliever Lou Trivino is a free agent again, after the Orioles designated him. Yes, his 18.00 ERA this year is no good to the Yankees, but he was dominant when he was in New York before. The A’s traded Trivino to the Yankees in 2022, and that time, he was coming off with a 6.47 ERA. With the Yankees, that converted to a 1.66 ERA.
Who knows, the same can get repeated this time as well, but the Yankees need new arms at the bottom.
