It was a slow start out of the gates for Austin Wells from the offensive side of the plate, but he’s been hitting his stride over his last 10 games, including a monstrous night on Tuesday.
In the team’s 12-3 win over the San Diego Padres courtesy of a 10-run seventh inning, Wells launched his first career grand slam as a part of a personal five-RBI inning, capping off his 2-for-4 night at the dish.
“Great – Two different kinds of at-bats too, where one was real patient, one where he pounded it in the hole,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of Wells. “Then just a real patient at-bat where they were kind of spinning him a little bit and left no doubt on one. Two different kinds of at-bats, but both strong.”
“Just how long that inning was and how everyone in front of me was working great at-bats,” Wells said when asked what he will remember from achieving this milestone. “That was a lot of fun to watch and a lot of fun to be a part of.”
Over his last 10 games, he’s gone 13-of-42 (.309) at the plate with 13 RBI, three home runs, five runs, but seven strikeouts and just one walk. He’s also raised his batting average over this stretch from .179 to .220 – a 41-point increase.
In terms of 2025 MLB catcher ranks, Wells has been one of, if not the best, offensive catchers this season, despite the slow start.
MLB Catcher Ranks
- HR: 7 (T-No. 4)
- RBI: 23 (T-No. 1)
- XBH: 14 (T-No. 2)
- SLG: .486 (3rd, min. 100 PA)
Outside of Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt, New York has struggled to score runs. Especially against right-handed pitching, these four will likely be penciled in as the top four hitters in Boone’s lineup.
As Wells continues to heat up along with Anthony Volpe and Bellinger, who have started to find their footing in the batter’s box, this lineup might take the next step and be the team Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner believed they could be.
Over the last 10 games, Volpe has hit .333 with 12 hits, six RBI, one long ball, and six runs scored, as the chicken parm bros continue to rake. Bellinger has been putting together promising at-bats, even if every opportunity doesn’t result in a hit.
Over his last seven games, he has an OPS of .855, including home run No. 200 of his career, which he hit against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 4.
This offense is far from perfect, but if they can get production from the bottom half of their lineup in some way, shape or form, this team might pull away with the weak American League East.
