The Yankees entered the 2025 season with high expectations for 25-year-old catcher Austin Wells, especially after the show he put on during spring training. Over 16 exhibition games, Wells torched opposing pitchers with a .348/.400/.783 slash line, six homers, and 12 RBIs. It felt like he was ready to take the next leap, adding serious punch to the bottom half of a potent Yankees lineup.
But since Opening Day, the offensive fireworks have gone cold.
From Sizzle to Slump
Through his first 20 games, Wells has hit just .182 with a .263 on-base percentage and a .424 slugging percentage. His .687 OPS is a far cry from the spring explosion that had Yankees fans buzzing. The power is still there in spurts—he’s flashed pop with a few home runs—but the consistent contact hasn’t followed him into the regular season.
Wells ranks in just the 18th percentile in whiff percentage, meaning he’s swinging through a lot of pitches he was crushing in March. That’s been the key issue: he’s still hitting the ball hard when he connects, landing in the 79th percentile in hard-hit rate. But there’s a difference between loud contact and frequent contact—and Wells hasn’t found that balance yet.
Holding His Value With the Glove
Despite the offensive struggles, Wells is still providing immense value behind the plate. Defensively, he’s been one of the league’s best. He ranks ninth in strike rate among all MLB catchers and is tied for first in catcher framing runs—metrics that suggest he’s stealing strikes at an elite clip and giving his pitchers the benefit of the doubt more often than not.
That kind of framing value can be game-changing over a full season, especially for a Yankees staff that’s been looking to stabilize early with key injuries.
Better Days Ahead?
Wells is young, and slumps this early in a season—especially for a catcher juggling offensive development with the demands of managing a pitching staff—aren’t rare. The Yankees still believe he’ll turn it around. If he can pair even league-average contact skills with his existing power and stellar glove, the breakout will come.
But for now, the offense that once looked ready to erupt has stayed mostly quiet—and the Yankees will keep waiting for Wells’ spring bat to show up under the bright lights.