Wells went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four total RBI against Detroit in a Grapefruit League victory Friday.
Wells accounted for all of the runs in the contest, leading off the game with a solo shot to right field and adding a three-run blast to left-center in the seventh. The backstop has put together a superb spring, slashing .366/.409/.780 with five homers, 10 RBI and 10 runs over 44 plate appearances. Wells has frequently batted leadoff during the exhibition slate, and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com says that Wells "looks like a lock" to hit out of the No. 1 spot versus righties once the regular season begins.
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Yankees' Austin Wells: Swats third spring long ball
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Wells went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's Grapefruit League win over the Tigers.
Wells batted leadoff in the contest, which he's been doing often this spring and may end up doing during the regular season. The 25-year-old catcher has been blistering the ball in that role in Grapefruit League action, leading off the Yankees' half of the first inning with a home run on three occasions. Wells is slashing .368/.400/.895 overall this spring and could be primed for a breakout after posting a .717 OPS over 414 regular-season plate appearances in his first full campaign in the majors last year.
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Yankees' Austin Wells: Could lead off this season
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Wells is a candidate to bat leadoff for the Yankees during the 2025 campaign, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Wells and Jazz Chisholm have been getting most of the reps in the leadoff spot this spring, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone has indicated that both players are being considered for the role come the regular season. While Wells' lack of speed and .229 batting average to this point in his big-league career aren't typical of a leadoff hitter, he has shown an acumen for getting on base, frequently recording double-digit walk rates in the minors and posting an 11.4 percent walk rate over 414 plate appearances with the big club last year. Hoch notes that the Yankees have never had a catcher bat leadoff in a regular-season game over the long history of the franchise.
Wells is in the lineup for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals, starting at catcher and batting fifth, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
The Yankees had previously disclosed a plan to keep Wells out of spring games until March 1, but the catcher will end up making his Grapefruit League debut a bit earlier than expected. In his age-24 campaign, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with 13 homers and 55 RBI across 414 regular-season plate appearances, and he should shoulder even more of the workload behind the plate in 2025, if healthy.
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Yankees' Austin Wells: No games until March 1
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday that Wells won't make his Grapefruit League debut until March 1 due to the catcher's heavy workload last season, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
Wells played 129 games last season between the regular season and playoffs, so it makes sense for the Yankees to slow play the 25-year-old's entry into the spring lineup. The catcher has been taking live at-bats but has not yet swung the bat early on in camp. Given the uncertainty the Yankees have behind him on the catcher depth chart, Wells could see an even heavier workload in 2025.
Wells went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Tuesday's 11-4 win over Los Angeles in Game 4 of the World Series.
Wells hit his second-deck solo shot with the Yankees up 5-4 in the sixth inning. The Yankees tacked on five more runs and cruised to victory. Los Angeles now leads the series 3-1 and will have a chance to close things out in Game 5 on Wednesday.
Wells is not in the lineup Monday for Game 3 of the World Series versus the Dodgers.
The Yankees will give the righty-hitting Jose Trevino a start at catcher even as the Dodgers send right-hander Walker Buehler to the bump. Wells is just 4-for-41 with 18 strikeouts so far this postseason.
Wells is not in the lineup Thursday for Game 3 of the ALCS against the Guardians.
Wells is just 2-for-24 so far during the playoffs and also ended the regular season in a 2-for-41 drought at the dish. He will yield to Jose Trevino at catcher as the Guardians send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the bump.
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Yankees' Austin Wells: Not starting Friday's game
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Wells is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Pirates.
Wells is getting a breather after starting each of the previous four games. Jose Trevino is catching and batting eighth for the Yankees in the series opener.
Yankees' Austin Wells: Not starting versus southpaw
Rotowire
Wells isn't in the Yankees' lineup for Saturday's game against the Athletics.
Wells went 0-for-5 with a strikeout during Friday's series opener and will now take a seat against the left-handed JP Sears. Jose Trevino will fill in as New York's catcher and bat ninth.
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