New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday that catcher Austin Wells will hit leadoff on Opening Day on Thursday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Freddy Peralta. Wells has been hitting leadoff against right-handers in Grapefruit League play this spring and has been swinging a hot bat, going 16-for-43 (.372) with six home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored in 15 spring games. The 25-year-old former first-rounder (28th overall) in 2020 out of the University of Arizona will surely be hitting lower in the batting order against lefties, but opening the year as the team's leadoff hitter is surely a boost to his fantasy value in 2025. In his first full season in the Bronx in 2024, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with a .718 OPS, 13 homers and 55 RBI in 115 games. Fantasy managers should consider him a low-end No. 1 starting catcher.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells is behind the plate and batting fifth for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees have held Wells back a bit in the early going in spring training to give him a little break after the team advanced to the World Series last fall. They were originally planning to hold him out until March, but the 25-year-old backstop will make his spring debut on Wednesday. After slashing .229/.322/.395 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI in the regular season last year, Wells is fully expected to see the majority of starts behind the plate in the Bronx in 2025. Wells' glove and plate discipline are his strengths, and while he can offer moderate power at the weak catching position, his struggles against lefties will likely keep his upside on the lower end. Consider him a low-end No. 1 catcher/high-end No. 2 option in fantasy.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that he told catcher Austin Wells that he will not play in Grapefruit League games until around March 1 due to his heavy workload last year. Wells has been taking live at-bats but hasn't been swinging so far in spring training at Yankees camp. The 25-year-old left-handed-hitting backstop played in 115 games for New York in 2024 in his first full big-league season and slashed .229/.322/.395 with a .718 OPS, 13 home runs, 55 RBI and 42 runs scored in 414 trips to the plate. He played in 129 total games when you account for playoff contests, so the Yankees want to try and keep him fresh as he enters the 2025 campaign as their primary catcher. Not only does Wells provide excellent defense behind the plate, but he broke out offensively last year as well thanks to improved plate discipline. Consider him a low-end No. 1 catcher/high-end No. 2 in fantasy in 2025.
New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and catcher Austin Wells are both back in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday at Progressive Field against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Rizzo and Wells, both lefty hitters, took a seat in the Game 3 loss with a left-hander on the mound. Rizzo fractured two fingers at the end of the regular season and didn't play in the AL Division Series. He's gone 3-for-7 with a double, two walks and a run scored in three games in the ALCS. Wells has just two hits in 28 trips to the plate this postseason with two RBI, two walks and 12 K's. Rizzo has never faced Williams in his career, while Wells has a single and a strikeout in two at-bats. Rizzo is batting sixth on Friday, with Wells in the eight-hole as the Yankees look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells will retreat to the bench for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Guardians with left-hander Matthew Boyd on the bump. Jose Trevino will do the catching instead and will be in the nine-hole in the batting order. Wells has hits in his first two career playoff games in the AL Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, but since then he's gone hitless in 17 plate appearances with eight strikeouts. He also hit under .200 with none of his 13 home runs and 21 strikeouts in 66 trips to the plate against lefties in 2024. This will be Trevino's first postseason appearance this year. In 23 plate appearances in the playoffs in 2022, he went just 1-for-22 with an RBI and six strikeouts. Trevino has gone 1-for-2 with an RBI and three walks in his career against Boyd.
Austin Wells Starting Behind The Plate, Batting Cleanup
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells will start at catcher and bat in the cleanup spot in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday evening. Wells opened the campaign, typically batting in the back half of the lineup, but began to move up to the four-spot deeper into the campaign. In the first half of the summer, Wells held a mere .216/.309/.377 line but posted a much-improved .241/.33/.412 line after the All-Star Break. However, since the start of September, the 25-year-old has been in a bit of a slump, holding a .111 AVG. DFS players should consider leaving Wells out of their lineup as he will face Kansas City right-hander Michael Wacha, who has posted a 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through September.
Anthony Rizzo, Austin Wells Sitting Against Pirates
New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and catcher Austin Wells will get the day off for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium a day after the team clinched the American League East division title. Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first base and bat ninth, while Jose Trevino will do the catching and hit eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. The Yankees are giving a lot of their regulars a day off after they celebrated their division title on Thursday evening with a win over the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. Since returning from a fractured forearm on Sept. 1, Rizzo has gone 17-for-71 (.239) with no home runs, five doubles, seven RBI, eight walks and 17 strikeouts in 21 games played. The Yankees will be hoping he can find some of his power stroke from the left side of the plate with the playoffs starting next week.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells continued his strong offensive second half in Monday's 10-4 win over the Royals. Wells went 2-for-5 with a double, a three-run home run, four RBI, and a strikeout. The 25-year-old backstop broke a seventh-inning tie by driving a James McArthur fastball deep into the right-field seats for his 13th long ball of the season. While he has cooled off in September, Wells has put together a .295/.380/.511 second-half slash line with seven HR and 29 RBI in 135 at-bats. His current performance and exposure to an excellent Yankees lineup make him a potential fantasy option in most fantasy leagues down the stretch.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (hand) is back behind the plate and is batting cleanup for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs and left-hander Jordan Wicks. Wells was hit on the right hand by a pitch on Monday and avoided any structural damage, but he was forced to sit out the next two games as a result. The 25-year-old backstop is feeling better after Thursday's off day, though, and will return to the heart of the Bombers' order in a friendly matchup at the friendly confines. Wells will be looking to get back on track after a scorching month at the plate in August, but he's gone hitless in his last nine at-bats with three strikeouts since the calendar flipped to September. It's not the best matchup for Wells, as he's hit just .196 (10-for-51) with none of his 12 home runs on the year against lefties.
New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (hand) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers. This doesn't come as a surprise after Wells was hit by a pitch in the hand during Monday's game. Luckily, Wells is only considered as day-to-day after the X-rays came back clean on Tuesday. Jose Trevino will handle behind the plate and bat seventh versus left-hander Andrew Heaney on Tuesday. Trevino has struggled with a .185 batting average with four home runs and 11 RBI against left-handed pitching this season. He won't be an ideal fantasy option for Tuesday's slate.
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