2 weeks agoNew 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Talkin' Yanks
1 month agoNew 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Erik Boland
2 months agoNew 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
6 months agoNew 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.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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