This year has mostly been a struggle for Austin Wells, who began to live up to his promise last season before falling in the latter part of the year.
And even on a night when the catcher had perhaps his most productive night of the year, it ended in disappointment in a 10-7 loss to Boston.
After Wells kept the Yankees in the game with a three-run homer and an RBI double off tough left-hander Garrett Crochet earlier in the game, the lefty-swinging Wells came up short with a chance to tie it in the bottom of the eighth, when he struck out against former Yankee southpaw Justin Wilson, stranding pinch runner Anthony Volpe at second base to end the inning.
Still, maybe his success against Crochet will spark the lefty-swinging catcher.
“I expect so much of him offensively and think so much of him offensively,” Aaron Boone said. “He’s capable of that right there against the very best left-on-left.”
Wells gave the Yankees their lone lead of the night with a three-run blast off Crochet — who had allowed just one homer to a left-handed hitter all season prior to Saturday night.
But Wells couldn’t coerce another solid start from Ryan Yarbrough, who has been a surprisingly strong revelation since arriving in spring training after opting out of his deal with the Blue Jays in March.
After Yarbrough was knocked around for five runs in the top of the third and two more in the fourth, Wells tried to get the Yankees back in the game in the bottom of the fourth, this time with a booming double the other way to left-center.
It came again off Crochet, who had also given up only one double to lefties all year.
“I got two pitches to handle,’’ said Wells, who is hitting the ball harder than he has previously in his career, but doesn’t have a lot to show for it.
Although he has 10 homers, his average has hovered slightly above .200 for most of the season.
With Carlos Narváez in town with the Red Sox after being traded by the Yankees in the offseason and off to a start that has put him in the conversation for the American League All-Star team, Wells’ shaky offensive output has been highlighted more of late.
The Yankees are steadfast in their belief that Wells will live up to his potential on offense, as he has continued to impress behind the plate.
“Hopefully it’s those little things that kind of get him rolling to where he gets hot,’’ Boone said of Wells’ at-bats on Saturday.
