Austin Wells Doesn't Have Much Rope Left With the Yankees

Austin Wells has struggled in a way that has raised some questions about his place on the team for the Yankees.

Austin Wells is facing a cloudy outlook with the Yankees. Will they replace the veteran catcher before the trade deadline? | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

At some point, Austin Wells will be back with the Yankees. He was placed on the injured list at the start of the month with cervical headaches just before a game with the Red Sox. In his place have been J.C. Escarra and Ali Sánchez, who have both struggled as much as Wells has at the plate this year.

The question for Wells, once he's back, is how long his leash should be. If the headaches were the problem and those behind him still struggle, finding a catcher at the MLB trade deadline could be a concern the Yankees likely didn't anticipate back in spring training. For as bad as Wells has been this year, he has always been a solid defensive catcher, and heading into the season, at worst, he has been league-average with a career 100 wRC+.

This season, he is well below that mark. Wells is slashing .166/.278/.255 with a 53 wRC+. He also has four homers, and it seems unlikely he'll match his total from 2025 unless he goes on a prolonged hot streak. Last year, Wells had 21.

Austin Wells's bat has left plenty to be desired throughout the first half of the 2026 MLB season. Now, the Yankees have to do something about it. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

If there's one upside to Wells at the plate, it's that, despite living under the Mendoza line for the majority of the season with no power whatsoever, he has taken his walks. Wells has a 13.6% walk rate, which ranks in the 90th percentile in MLB, according to Baseball Savant.

Another positive is his defense. Wells is a 93rd-percentile framer with plus-4 framing runs saved and a 58th-percentile blocker. He has plus-1 block above average for the year. Baseball Savant equates that to a 74th percentile plus-3 fielding run value.

Yankees' list of potential Austin Wells replacements

Just like with Anthony Volpe, this could be Wells' last chance to be an everyday catcher for the Yankees.

While trading a catcher may not be something that the Yankees do mid-season, with starting pitching being such a strength, Wells may not even be with the team at this point next year. He could be better suited in a situation with less pressure and potentially blossom into the bat that was expected of him when he was called up from the minors back in 2023.

The question with Wells now becomes who can replace him if they decide to move on from him or give him a lesser role. Last year, they went with Ben Rice behind the plate. While Rice does not have the defensive prowess that Wells has, he has a bat that gives the Yankees some thump at the position that they just haven't had at all this year.

It's worth noting, though, that NY Daily News Sports' Gary Phillips reported on Sunday that "Rice catching isn't in the plans right now," per Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Aaron Boone, again, reiterated that Ben Rice catching isn't in the plans right now. Rice hasn't caught any bullpens or done pregame catching work since his hand injury, which is no longer an issue. #Yankees

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) June 14, 2026

The Yankees could also look externally. Ryan Jeffers, who hasn't played since May 18 due to a left hamate bone fracture, is one option. That's the popular name being thrown around.

Another potential target has experience with the Yankees. That's Kyle Higashioka, who's a former 2008 seventh-rounder and played 314 games with the club from 2017 to 2023.

Of course, Higashioka's bat may be better at this point, and, even though it's not saying much, his .235/.313/.391 slash line with a 99 wRC+ would be a massive upgrade from what they're getting now, and it isn't all that great to begin with.

The Yankees could explore a reunion with Kyle Higashioka to address their catcher needs. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Higashioka already replaced one former highly touted catcher, Gary Sánchez. Next up could be Wells.

For the year, Yankees catchers are hitting .173/.265/.261 with a 49 wRC+. Only the Phillies and White Sox have a worse catching situation. Philadelphia catchers own a 49 wRC+, and Chicago is at 47.

If the Yankees want to win the World Series, it's time to make an upgrade at catcher before it's too late.