Austin Wells reportedly faced some health issues this season that set back his performance offensively. The question is, will the Yankees explore options to replace him?
Wells is eligible for arbitration, under club control through the 2029 season. The most likely scenario has him remaining behind the plate for the Yankees next year. To explain his early struggles in the regular season, a recent report from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty revealed that Wells suffered multiple blows to the head that affected his focus.
According to Kuty’s reporting, Wells recalled specific instances where he was hit off deflections from Cam Schlittler’s pitches. During the Yankees’ first meeting against the Red Sox this season, Wells got clocked after Wilyer Abreu got a piece of Schlittler’s 98 mph fastball. The Yankees’ catcher shared that he suffered the same fate two weeks later, when William Contreras fouled back another of Schlittler’s 99 mph fastballs. Wells also shared with Kuty that he was suffering from headaches and found it difficult to track pitches during his at-bats, which led to his brief stint on the injured list in early June.
The Yankees’ catcher finished the first half of the season batting .155 with a .258 slugging percentage and six homers in 220 plate appearances. Following the All-Star break, Wells turned it around and seemed to find his groove in the second half of July. He built on his momentum in August and finished the final two months with 11 extra-base hits and a .784 OPS in 140 plate appearances. Despite his inconsistent offensive performance this season, the 27-year-old continued to shine behind the plate and was named a Gold Glove Award finalist.
Wells continued to perform well in the postseason and racked up three hits and scored two runs in the Wild Card Series against Boston. Much like the majority of the Yankees’ offense, excluding Ben Rice, he struggled against the Rays and got only two hits in a combined nine plate appearances, including an ignominious baserunning blunder during the 1-0 loss in the ALDS opener.
It’s also worth noting that Wells probably wouldn’t have felt more pressure to get back behind the plate as quickly as possible if the Yankees’ backup catcher options weren’t so mediocre. J.C. Escarra had the understudy role for the first half of the season and posted a .188 average with a .239 OBP and .510 OPS. Ali Sánchez finished the regular season with similar numbers, and though he was a good framer, he struggled at other parts of catching, including a 42-percent success rate on challenges.
An earlier report from MLB Trade Rumors projected Wells’ salary to be approximately $2.6 million, and the best move for the Yankees would likely be to settle on a figure that will give them enough flexibility to fill more pressing positions, including third base, second base, and center field.