The Yankees have more than just their bullpen to address in July. When a team is losing games, the weaknesses in the roster are further highlighted. That is the case for the Yankees and backstop Austin Wells. New York is 2-7 in their last nine games, not winning a series on their nine-game, three city road trip that saw their offense disappear.
Yankees’ Wells Struggling
When the Yankees drafted Wells out of the University of Arizona in 2020, Wells was an offensive-first player, and that mold stayed steady as he developed through the minor leagues. That has flipped since he was called up in September of 2023. Wells has been outstanding defensively, ranking 10th among al MLB catchers in defensive runs saved with 11 according to FanGraphs. His offense tells a different tale. For a while during the 2024 season, Wells was the cleanup hitter on a team that went to the World Series. He came in third in the 2024 Rookie of the Year voting and in 2025 took over as the full time catcher after the Yankees traded away former starter Jose Trevino to the Reds for set-up man Fernando Cruz.
Since the start of the 2025 season that saw Wells get reps in almost every game, he has fallen off offensively. Since the start of the 2025 season, Wells ranks 49 amongst 119 qualified catchers with a 88 WRC+. For some context, league average WRC+ sits at exactly 100. Wells’ backup in the same timeframe, J.C. Escarra has been worse with less reps, posting a 76 WRC+. To break this down further, the Yankees are getting virtually no production from the catcher position.
Potential Replacements
The Yankees need to upgrade a few positions at the deadline: one being the catcher position, that being behind the bullpen. There are teams that are falling out of contention that have catchers the Yankees can deal for. It won’t be cheap, but that’s the cost of winning a championship.
The first, and probably best option is Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. Jeffers is regarded as one of the better offensive. In the same timeframe as above for Wells and Escarra ranking their WRC+’s, Jeffers has a 119 WRC+, so above league-average. Jeffers, though, is not the same caliber of defender that Wells is. Since the start of 2023, Jeffers has -15 defensive runs saved, which is the eighth worst mark in baseball over that time. The Yankees might be able to live with the loss of some defense to get that much off an offensive up grade. It would be an easier pill to swallow if Wells was on the bench backing up Jeffers in this scenario. It would also give the Yankees another right-hander in their lineup, something they desperately need.
Over time, other options might reveal themselves over time, and one could be veteran backstop Christian Vásquez. Vásquez has been catching for a long time and is one of the better defensive catchers in the game. Vásquez is enjoying a hot start to 2026, with a .714 OPS in the early going. Adding to that, Vásquez, has a career postseason .250 batting average, and has had his fair share of big moments in the postseason for the Astros and Red Sox.
RED SOX WALK-OFF HR IN THE BOTTOM OF THE 13TH ‼️
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/Ib3n7VuEiL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 11, 2021
The Yankees need to be aggressive at the deadline, and upgrading the catcher position needs to be near the top of their list.
Main Image Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn
