Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects ‘a lot more’ from Austin Wells offensively

The book on Austin Wells used to be simple: the bat might carry him, the defense behind the plate might sink him. That was the draft chatter in 2020, and the minor-league verdict before he made his MLB debut in 2023. Fast forward to now and the script flipped — his defense looks real, his framing grades pop, and suddenly the New York Yankees are staring at a different question entirely. Is the offense good enough to matter?

Because “fine for a catcher” doesn’t move the needle in the Bronx. Never has. Never will.

Last season with the New York Yankees, Wells posted a .219/.275/.436 line with 21 homers, 22 doubles, and 71 RBIs across 126 games. That translated to a 94 wRC+, playable at the position but a step back from the 107 mark he flashed earlier in his development, in 2024. The power is real, the contact comes and goes, and the on-base percentage still feels like it’s leaving runs on the table.

Manager Aaron Boone didn’t sugarcoat it either. He said exactly what a contender’s manager should say when a young player’s ceiling is still sitting there untouched.

“He does have good at-bats in tough situations, but I expect a lot more out of him offensively, as does he,” Boone told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “Being a Major League catcher, especially as a rookie and a first- and second-year player, there’s a lot of things you’re focusing on away from your hitting. I still think there’s a lot more in there offensively.”

That’s not criticism. That’s a challenge.

The defense bought him credibility — now the bat has to buy him impact

Wells didn’t just patch up his defensive reputation. He bulldozed it. The receiving looks quiet, the game-calling shows confidence, and by most framing metrics he’s already sitting in the upper tier of MLB catchers.

That matters more than fans realize. Pitchers trust him. Coaches trust him. The front office clearly trusts him.

But here’s the catch — literally and figuratively. If framing helped establish his floor, the league’s shifting technology might lower how much that skill alone separates him. With Major League Baseball using the ABS challenge system, the long-term value of elite framing could shrink. Not vanish, but shrink.

Which means offense suddenly carries more weight.

The Yankees don’t need flashes; they need consistency

Wells has shown he can drive the ball with authority, but he needs more consistency. He needs to lay off the junk, put on good swings on hittable pitches, and put himself in a position to do damage.

Two hitless spring games don’t mean a thing. March stats are background noise. Timing comes and goes, especially for catchers juggling bullpen sessions, scouting meetings, and the daily physical grind of the position.

What matters is whether Wells becomes the kind of hitter Boone clearly believes is in there — not just a 20-homer catcher, but a reliable run producer who forces pitchers to treat the bottom half of the lineup seriously. If that happens, the Yankees’ offense stretches. If it doesn’t, they’re back to living and dying with the same top-heavy formula.

And that formula gets old fast in October.

Wells already proved he belongs in the majors. That debate’s finished.

Now he’s staring at the harder step — proving he belongs in the part of the lineup where games actually tilt.