New York — Austin Wells is heating up, and so is the conversation around his rising stature within the New York Yankees’ future plans.
The 25-year-old catcher, in his first full season behind the plate for the Bronx Bombers, launched his 14th home run of the year Tuesday night, a 414-foot two-run shot off Mariners reliever Casey Legumina that helped propel the Yankees to a 10-3 victory at Yankee Stadium. The homer, clocked at 107.2 mph exit velocity, marked a new personal best and capped his third straight game with a long ball — another career first.
“I try to be in the gaps and get some hits and get on base a little bit more often,” Wells said postgame. “But that’s nice when they do come.”
It was the latest in a series of loud contact moments for the former first-round pick, who has found his swing again after a tough June.
Power surge lifts Yankees out of midseason slump
From June 11 to July 3, Wells struggled at the plate, batting just .167 with no homers across 15 games — a stretch further complicated by a circulatory issue in his left index finger that sidelined him for three games. By the end of June, his OPS dipped to .699, marking the first time it had fallen below .700 since April.
Then came the bounce back.
Over his last five games, Wells is slashing .333/.400/.944 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. Notably, he hasn’t struck out once in that span, showcasing sharper pitch recognition and a more compact load at the plate.
“Just getting some good pitches to hit, giving myself a little bit more time to see the ball,” Wells explained.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone echoed that observation, noting subtle mechanical improvements.
“Maybe his move, his load is a little bit better, getting him into stronger positions,” Boone said. “But he’s hit four or five balls now on the screws the last couple of times out, which is encouraging to see.”
Numbers behind Wells’ breakout
Wells’ offensive profile this season shows marked growth from his rookie campaign in 2024. Through 74 games, he’s batting .221 with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs — compared to 13 homers and 40 RBIs across 123 games last year.
With an average exit velocity of 91.0 mph and a hard-hit rate of 49.2%, Wells ranks above league average in both categories. His OPS now stands at .743 after dropping as low as .699 just over a week ago.
He’s on pace to finish the season with approximately 25 home runs and close to 90 RBIs — remarkable production for a player at one of the sport’s most physically demanding positions.
“Stays behind the ball. Gets good lift. Saw how far that ball went today,” said Giancarlo Stanton. “When he’s clicking, it’s fun to watch.”
Cody Bellinger, another key bat in the Yankees lineup, kept it simple: “That was a really sick swing.”
Context among AL catchers
In a year when catching offense around the league has surged — with Seattle’s Cal Raleigh leading all backstops with 36 home runs and 76 RBIs — Wells’ production still stacks up admirably. His 14 homers are tied for third-most among American League catchers, trailing only Raleigh and Logan O’Hoppe. His 50 RBIs also rank third in the AL at the position.
Importantly, Wells is doing this while carrying a heavy workload defensively. His pitch framing metrics remain elite, and he’s continued to build rapport with a rotating Yankees rotation that’s endured key injuries to Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman.
“This is what he’s capable of,” Boone said. “To have a catcher who can swing the bat like this — with power — it’s a real asset.”
Stabilizing force in a tumultuous stretch
The Yankees have endured a tough stretch, going 8-14 since June 15 and watching their once-dominant lead in the AL East dwindle. While Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and others have battled inconsistency or injury, Wells has provided a steadying presence — both in the lineup and behind the plate.
His recent home run barrage, including Tuesday night’s no-doubter to the right-field bleachers, helped break open a previously tight contest. With the score 1-0 entering the sixth, Stanton crushed a three-run homer before Wells followed up with his own two-run blast, giving the Yankees a 6-0 cushion.
Looking ahead: Can Wells sustain it?
Consistency has eluded the Yankees lineup throughout the 2025 campaign. But if Wells can maintain this level of contact quality and pitch selection, he could emerge as a long-term fixture in the middle of the order.
With his balanced offensive approach — a mix of gap-to-gap focus with burgeoning power — the Yankees may have finally found a young catcher who can produce on both sides of the ball.
For now, Wells remains humble.
“I definitely don’t try to do that,” he said of his recent homers. “But that’s nice when they do come.”
And for the Yankees, it couldn’t come at a better time.
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