Why Yankees Catcher's Role is Shrinking

The New York Yankees are beginning to look like they could come back from their recent tailspin, and the move to put Ben Rice in the lineup more often appears to be paying off right away.

Yankees starting catcher Austin Wells has had a rough few weeks at the plate, but he has been solid behind the plate. Boone's decision to bench him for the time being makes sense, given his sentiment before Monday's game that offense is "the least of our worries." The decision to bench the starter for the first two games against the Minnesota Twins looked odd, and according to manager Aaron Bone, the lack of faith in his batting ability was part of it.

“He’s been struggling a bit, obviously, offensively. A part of it is I want to keep Ben [Rice] in there and I think Ben has done a really good job behind the plate, too,” Boone said, per the New York Post's Zach Braziller. “There’s that. That also allows [Paul] Goldschmidt to be in the lineup. It’s just trying to get the best grouping out there day in and day out to give us chance to win a game.”

Wells has the worst batting average among hitters who have faced 200+ sliders this season with .085, and opposing pitchers have adjusted their approach to him accordingly. Since July, the number of first-pitch sliders to Wells has skyrocketed, and his performance has plummeted. After a reasonably strong offensive start (for a catcher) early in the season, Wells has fallen off in his batting production, slashing a dismal .118/.179/.196 over his last 15 games.

Wells suffered a mysterious circulation issue in his index finger back in early July that turned out to be caused by arterial damage. Reports said that the finger "gets cold and changes colors", but blood clots were ruled out and he resumed regular play after missing just four games.