Offensively, Austin Wells had reached nearly unplayable territory, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted in July that the catching position had become “an issue, clearly.”
From Opening Day through Aug. 2 — a span of more than four months interrupted only by a 15-day stint on the injured list in June — the Yankees’ starting catcher posted baseball’s lowest batting average (.161) and OPS (.537) among 240 hitters with a comparable number of at-bats.
Yet after the Aug. 3 trade deadline, when New York effectively committed to Wells as its everyday catcher just as his bat began to come around, he became the most heavily used catcher in baseball. He started 42 of 47 games and caught 5,779 pitches, both figures leading the sport during that stretch.
“That’s awesome,” Wells said, though his few remaining days off are about to disappear.
Beginning Tuesday, Wells is expected to handle the catching duties every day for the Yankees in the postseason. If Ali Sánchez appears for even one meaningful inning, it likely will mean something has gone wrong for New York or that a game has taken an unexpected turn.
After Sunday’s Game 162, and starting when the Red Sox arrive in the Bronx for Game 1 of the wild-card series, Wells could catch as many as 22 postseason games. He believes he is prepared for the workload.
“I feel solid [physically]. It comes and goes — you take a foul ball to the face, you make a couple of throws in a couple of games, your arm starts hanging a little bit,” Wells said this week. “But this is how I want it. This is where I want to be.”
Only a few months ago, it would have been hard to imagine Wells entering October in this position.
Wells had been viewed primarily as a bat-first prospect who was roughly league average offensively through his first three major-league seasons while developing defensive skills that exceeded expectations. The Yankees anticipated a breakout this year. Instead, his production collapsed.
The decline continued month after month: Wells was hitting .200 at the end of April, .178 at the end of May and .155 at the end of June.
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The Yankees identify his 15 days on the injured list in June with cervical headaches as the turning point. The break helped Wells feel healthier, while also giving him time to adjust his swing and create more loft in his contact.
In the 15 games before Cashman made his trade-deadline decision, Wells produced an .886 OPS, showed significantly better plate discipline with seven walks against eight strikeouts, and hit three home runs. That improvement convinced the Yankees they did not need to overpay for either a starting catcher or a complementary option.
The Red Sox, for example, surrendered significant prospect capital for Adley Rutschman, who could still make that price look worthwhile with a few big swings in the wild-card series. Ryan Jeffers, meanwhile, stayed in Minnesota.
New York stayed with Wells and Sánchez, whose role has remained that of a true backup.
“You feel like he’s that threat again down there, and that’s massive,” manager Aaron Boone said earlier this month. Since that Aug. 3 decision, Wells has posted a .785 OPS, validating the Yankees’ choice to stick with him.
“Feel like I’m seeing the ball well, trying to have good at-bats and turn the lineup over, get on base for the guys at the top,” Wells said Thursday. “Do whatever’s necessary to win the game.”
Wells has been in this postseason role before. Two years ago, during his first full major-league season, he started 12 of 14 playoff games and appeared in all 14 before the Yankees ultimately lost the World Series to the Dodgers.
Last year, he started all seven of New York’s postseason games against Boston and Toronto.
Wells has learned that the physical toll of October is something he can set aside. When he plays every day, there is no time to dwell on the wear and tear. The full impact usually becomes apparent only in the offseason, once his body finally has a chance to recover.
“You just roll with it,” said Wells, who is among the select few Yankees (Cody Bellinger, and perhaps Ben Rice and George Lombard Jr.) who is expected to get everyday run in the playoffs. “Being behind the plate every day — that’s where I want to be.”