At least for offensive reasons, Austin Wells had been approaching unplayable territory, and even GM Brian Cashman acknowledged in July the catching position had grown into “an issue, clearly.”
From the start of the season to Aug. 2 — a stretch of four-plus months only interrupted by a June stint on the injured list — the Yankees’ starting catcher owned the worst average (.161) and OPS (.537) in baseball among the 240 hitters who took as many at-bats as he did.
And since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, when the Yankees essentially committed to Wells playing full time as he began to show signs of life, he has been the most played catcher in the sport, squatting for 42 of 47 games and catching 5,779 pitches, both tops in that span.
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