- Oct 16, 2026
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The Yankees face a pivotal decision behind the plate this offseason, with Austin Wells' performance and health history driving their evaluation process.
Wells endured a difficult first half, posting a .504 OPS entering the All-Star break after taking foul tips to his mask on April 23 against Boston and May 9 in Milwaukee. He landed on the injured list in early June with cervical headaches but passed concussion tests and returned after two weeks. Following the layoff, Wells switched to a hockey-style mask and showed marked improvement, hitting .229/.343/.441 with seven home runs in his final two months. He went 5-for-15 with four RBI in the playoffs, including a triple that broke up Drew Rasmussen's no-hitter in ALDS Game 1.
Defensively, Wells ranked fifth in Statcast Framing both before and after the injury, improving from 3 Fielding Run Value to 7 in more innings. "That wasn't me. That wasn't who I am," Wells said of his early struggles.
If the Yankees buy into Wells' second half, they could pursue a cheaper backup such as Austin Hedges or Kyle Higashioka while relying on plus defenders J.C. Escarra or Ali Sanchez internally. If they doubt Wells' sustainability, bigger investments in Ryan Jeffers or Tyler Stephenson—both past trade targets—would be explored, along with Carson Kelly and trade possibilities Hunter Goodman and Shea Langeliers.
Source: MLB Trade Rumors - Sat Oct 24, 7:49 PM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).