On Friday, veteran New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino will likely start behind the plate against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, manager Aaron Boone said on Foul Territory on Thursday.
It would be Trevino’s first game back from the injured list, where he’s been since July 13 due to a left quad strain.
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Boone mentioned that part of the reason Trevino would likely start was because Detroit would be throwing a lefty. Though the Tigers hadn’t yet announced a starter for Friday, southpaw Brant Hurter will likely factor into the action via starting or in a bulk role. But it’s also likely Trevino would start because ace Gerrit Cole will be on the mound for the Yankees, and Cole is most familiar with the 31-year-old. (The Yankees and Tigers also play Saturday afternoon, and the Yankees rarely use the same catcher when a day game follows a night game.)
But make no mistake: Rookie Austin Wells’ impressive play of late means he’ll likely get the bulk of the catching duties for the rest of the regular season.
“Austin has earned the opportunity,” Boone said. “Trevi will support him and get in there from time to time, too.”
.@Yankees Manager Aaron Boone implies that Austin Wells, with Jose Trevino returning tomorrow, will continue to get the bulk of the playing time. pic.twitter.com/aJAk6DE3FC
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 15, 2024
The Yankees haven’t soured on Trevino, who was added back to the active roster Thursday and whose presence bumped rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Trevino, the 2022 Platinum Glove Award winner, is still a strong defender. He’s ranked highly in Baseball Prospectus’ Catcher Defense Added statistic, which the publication describes as a “measure of defensive contributions for catchers, including all major catching skills, in runs.” Trevino had a 9.7 CDA — the sixth-best in baseball and right behind Wells, whose 10.8 mark ranks fifth.
Plus, when Trevino went on the IL, he had been a mostly solid offensive contributor this season, hitting .244 with eight homers and a 98 OPS+ — two points below the league average.
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“I love the duo that they are, and I love what Trevi brings,” Boone said.
Yes, there was a but.
“But Austin offensively now is starting to go to another level,” Boone said.
All Wells has done is mash since Trevino went on the IL. In those 44 games, he hit .296 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs and a .901 OPS. And he’s been on an absolute tear lately. In his past 20 games, he’s hit .354 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and a .962 OPS.
Wells also appears to have given the Yankees a cleanup hitter against righties and protection for Aaron Judge they badly needed. In 17 games (16 starts) hitting fourth, Wells has a 997 OPS. Boone said he’s still likely to use Giancarlo Stanton at the No. 4 spot vs. lefties with Wells batting fifth.
Austin Wells and Clay Holmes celebrate after the Yankees defeated the Blue Jays on Aug. 3. (Adam Hunger / Getty Images)
Wells also has been effective defensively, brushing off concerns during his time in the minors that he wouldn’t stick behind the plate. He’s become a strong pitch framer with good enough blocking skills and arm strength.
It’s all totaled up to a 3.0 fWAR for Wells — the third-best among big-league catchers, behind the San Francisco Giants’ Patrick Bailey (3.5 fWAR) and the Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh (3.3 fWAR).
Until Trevino went on the IL, he split the games behind the plate with Wells, but the new arrangement shouldn’t be a problem. Each catcher has spoken about the strong relationship they have formed over the years.
On Thursday, Boone gushed over Wells, the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2020.
“What he’s done defensively — I didn’t know what to expect when we called him up last September,” Boone said. “He was excellent. Excellent presence. He’s done a great job defensively. The bat was a little slower — at this level — to come. But once we hit about the middle of May/June, it’s been a lot of high-quality, middle-of-the-order-type of at-bats. I think that’s what everyone expected when (the Yankees) drafted him and when he was coming through the minor leagues, that this guy is going to hit. He’s showing that now.”
(Top photo of Jose Trevino: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Brendan Kuty is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering the New York Yankees and MLB. He has covered the Yankees since 2014, most recently as a beat reporter for NJ Advance Media. Brendan was honored to receive the 2022 New Jersey Sportswriter of the Year award from the National Sports Media Association. He attended William Paterson University and the County College of Morris, and he is from Hopatcong, N.J.
