Despite the fact that the Yankees are excited about Austin Wells and his future at the catcher position, notably his offensive potential, they are getting substantial value from their veteran defense-first option.
Over the first 10 games of the season for Jose Trevino, he’s putting together what would be his best year in the batter’s box, coming up clutch over the past few games. He’s hitting .233/.324/.333, including one homer, six RBIs, and a 99 wRC+. However, over his last four games, Trevino is hitting .500 with a .538 OBP, five RBIs and 280 wRC+.
In other words, Trevino’s start to the season will force the Yankees to feature him on an everyday basis, fighting back against the narrative that Wells should be getting the majority of the reps.
In fact, Wells has played 12 games, two more than Trevino, but his offensive production has been lackluster, batting just .097 with a .250 OBP and 20 wRC+. Wells has looked decent at times, hosting a 17.5% walk rate, and he does have a .256 expected batting average — Trevino has simply been red hot.
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Battling a Bit of Bad Luck
Wells has been a bit unlucky, but Trevino isn’t only producing offensively, he remains one of the best defensive catchers the game has to offer. In fact, he has a 54.8% strike rate this season, the highest in baseball by nearly one percent, with Bo Naylor trailing in second place. The third-place catcher is 3.1% worse, so the Yankees are being backed into a corner in a way, and Trevino should be their everyday option until Wells starts to trend upward.
The Yankees Escape With a Win
On Wednesday evening, the Yankees were trailing 4–3 at the top of the 9th inning with two men on base, and when Toronto decided to bring in a lefty bullpen arm, they swapped Wells for Trevino, hoping they would get a better matchup.
Fortunately, it was the right decision, as Trevy singled to centerfield, driving in Gleyber Torres and tying the game. Shortly after, Aaron Judge ripped a line-drive down the left field line and drove two runs to give the Yankees a 6–4 lead, closing the game out in the final moments despite a quiet first seven innings offensively
Trevino helped spark the late comeback and the Yankees once again showed resiliency in the middle of adversity.