In a surprising move, the Yankees placed Austin Wells on the injured list just ahead of Saturday’s rain-delayed matchup with the Boston Red Sox. To replace Wells, the choice to fill in as the backup catcher is J.C. Escarra, returning to the big league club one day after getting sent down in favor of righty-hitting Ali Sánchez, who now might well take the bulk of the workload behind the dish — or at least a platoon split with the lefty Escarra.
Wells hits the shelf with what’s diagnosed as cervical headaches, potentially an issue that he has been dealing with for a while in what’s been up to this point a terrible campaign for the 26-year-old. Normally a very serviceable hitter behind the plate, especially adjusting for his position, Wells hit the IL with a .533 OPS, the worst among Yankee regulars.
Due to the nature of this IL replacement, it’s difficult to put a specific timeline on Wells’ return, and almost regardless of it, catcher remains a place the Yankees might look to improve at the deadline, even if midseason catcher trades are generally rare these days. Although Escarra was (very) recently with the big league club, he had scuffled for much of the season as well, batting .177 in 62 at-bats.
Here’s hoping that Wells’ injury isn’t too scary and he can safely recover. It’s a painful diagnosis.
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