The New York Yankees have been rather sluggish as of late, but with a series win over the Baltimore Orioles with their 6-1 victory on Thursday, the team have an opportunity to build on that as the AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays come to town.
While some parts of the team have thrived over the past few months, others have struggled, and with the lineup fitting into the latter category, the team are crossing their fingers that Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge will both be back soon. Until then however, the team need to figure it out with the players they have, and ahead of their series with the Blue Jays, the team have made a critical decision on catcher Austin Wells.
Austin Wells Left out of the Yankees Lineup
GettyAustin Wells of the New York Yankees.
Despite putting together a career best offensive season in 2025, Austin Wells has taken a major step back in 2026, to the point where the Yankees catching group has been a major negative for the organization this season.
In Wells, the team know they have a player that can hit at the highest level, but for whatever reason, he’s just never found that consistency in 2026, and as of late, it’s resulted in the team platooning him with Ali Sanchez. After playing in all three series against the Orioles and going 1-10 with just a single at the plate, the team have officially left him out of the lineup, opting for right-hander Sanchez as they go up against Mason Fluharty as the Blue Jays opener.
On the season, Wells is now hitting .176 with a .562 OPS, and with the injuries to some of their key players, the team were hoping that the 27-year-old could step up and help this lineup with some major production.
Unfortunately, that just hasn’t happened, and now, the team are going with Sanchez just as often as they are Wells, and for a team that’s looking to be seen as World Series contenders, that’s a less than ideal situation.
Can Wells Turn it Around Before the Post-Season?
For months now, Yankees fans have patiently been waiting for Wells to find his stride, but across 92 games he has just 8 home runs and 17 RBI, and with the most recent series seeing him collect just one hit across 10 plate appearances, it doesn’t appear as though his breakout will be coming anytime soon.
Thankfully, the rest of the lineup found their stride against the Orioles in the finale of that series, and now, going up against a Blue Jays team that’s been one the best teams in the AL over the past month, they need a catcher to step up whether that’s Sanchez or Wells, but against the lefty on the mound, it’s Sanchez who will get the first opportunity to contribute for the Yankees behind the plate.
Yankees Make Huge Decision on Austin Wells Before Blue Jays Matchup