The Yankees reinstated catcher Austin Wells from the 10-day IL ahead of Sunday’s game against the Reds. Wells went 0-for-2 in his return to the lineup. He missed two weeks while dealing with cervical headaches.
Wells has struggled mightily at the plate this season. He’d posted a 53 wRC+ through 47 games heading into Sunday. His strikeout rate has risen to a career-worst 26.6%. After a career-high 21 home runs last season, Wells has hit just four in 169 plate appearances.
The Yankees optioned J.C. Escarra back to the minors with Wells back, but there will be more shuffling at the position in the coming days. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters before today’s game that Ali Sanchez is headed to the paternity list soon (h/t Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Escarra will take Sanchez’s spot while he’s away from the team.
The Yankees rank 28th in OPS at the catcher position. The lack of production from the group has New York in the market for a backstop, preferably one who hits right-handed. Ryan Jeffers of the Twins has been frequently mentioned in the conversation. He’s been excellent this season (163 wRC+), but he’s currently sidelined with a fractured hamate bone.
The Yankees also called up right-hander Elmer Rodriguez to start on Sunday. He took righty Jake Bird‘s spot on the roster. It was just a spot start for Rodriguez, who allowed three earned runs over four innings and took the loss. New York optioned him right back to Triple-A after the game. Using Rodriguez today allowed the Yankees to give their rotation an extra day of rest. The club doesn’t have an off-day until July 2.
Here are a few other items from around the AL East…
- The Orioles sent a pair of starters on rehab assignments today. Right-hander Dean Kremer joined the Triple-A squad, and lefty Cade Povich headed to Double-A (h/t Roch Kubatko of MASN). Kremer has been sidelined for nearly two months with a quad strain. He was surprisingly optioned to the minors to start the season, then went down with injury after just two big league starts. Povich hit the IL with elbow inflammation in early May. He’s pitched in four games across two stints with the Orioles this year. Kremer and Povich will likely need several starts to ramp up, but they could push for rotation spots once healthy.
- The Red Sox placed infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa on the 10-day IL with left forearm inflammation on Saturday. He’s headed for more tests later this week to make sure he isn’t dealing with a fracture. “There’s some things with that, like on the bone, where you got to … get a more clear picture,” interim manager Chad Tracy said, relayed by Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. “At this point [they don’t believe there is a fracture], but that’s what the CT scan will be for.”
- Fellow versatile infielder Romy Gonzalez could’ve been a candidate to replace Kiner-Falefa, but he was pulled from a Double-A game on Friday with hip tightness, per Healey. Gonzalez is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Tracy said the club hopes Gonzalez can resume his rehab assignment on Tuesday.
- The Rays reinstated right-hander Michael Grove from the 60-day IL on Sunday. He was optioned to Triple-A. Grove missed all of 2025 after right shoulder surgery. The former Dodger joined the Rays in mid-April. He’s made eight appearances in the minors with Tampa Bay, posting a 2.84 ERA with a 32% strikeout rate over 12 2/3 innings.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
