About the Off-Season: Settling Behind the Plate

About the Off-Season: Settling Behind the Plate

By Tim Kabel

October 15, 2025

***

As the 2025 postseason continues without the Yankees, I will continue taking stock. It is time to evaluate what went wrong this season and what needs to happen going into next season. I started by addressing the manager. I then considered players on the current roster who will be free agents or who have options. Now, I will start looking at the Yankees position by position. Today I will start with catcher.

The primary starting catcher for the 2025 New York Yankees was Austin Wells. He played 126 games and batted .219 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI. Although he had more home runs and RBI than he did in 2024, his batting average actually dropped 10 points. His OPS in 2025 was .712. In 2024 it was 718. He did have an injury issue, as he suffered arterial damage in the left index finger, possibly due to repeated impacts from catching baseballs. He missed a few games as a result, and it may have impacted his hitting. With the way the Yankees conduct business these days, it is possible that Wells suffered another injury that led to a prolonged slump. We will never know.

Defensively, Wells continued to flourish. He is an excellent defensive catcher, which is a tribute to his work ethic and coachability since he was considered to be a defensive liability when he was in the minor leagues. Remember all those articles about switching his position? You don't see those anymore. Unless the Yankees decide to make a drastic move, I would anticipate that Wells will be the primary starting catcher again next year. I think it's reasonable to assume that his offense will improve, particularly in the areas of run production and power, based on last year's progression.

For most of the season, the primary backup for Austin Wells was JC Escarra. His inclusion on the team was a nice story, as he had been an Uber driver and was 30 years old, but he persevered to make the Major Leagues. However, he batted .202 with two home runs and eleven RBI. Also, he, like Wells, is a left-handed batter. Once Ben Rice began catching more as a way of getting into the lineup, Escarra became redundant and was sent down to the minors.

Ben Rice, who was a catcher before he became a first baseman, began catching more frequently in the second half of the season, cutting into Wells’ playing time. Rice proved to be perfectly fine as a catcher and could probably assume that role on an everyday basis if the Yankees decided to go that route. Rice batted.255 with 26 home runs and 65 RBI. His OPS was .836.

In 2026, Paul Goldschmidt will most likely not be on the New York Yankees. As I noted above, Ben Rice could certainly be the starting catcher for the New York Yankees in 2026. I don't think he will be. The Yankees are a better team when they have both Wells and Rice in the lineup. There is no reason why that can't happen on a regular basis. Wells can be the starting catcher, and Rice can be the starting first baseman. On occasion, Rice could catch but he will most likely be the primary first baseman.

Although JC Escarra was certainly adequate as a backup, I think the Yankees would be better served by getting a right-handed hitting backup catcher.  That would give the Yankees a little more lineup flexibility and versatility. The Yankees could coordinate the days off for Wells so that they would occur when the Yankees faced a tough left-handed pitcher. Having a right-handed hitting back up would make a lot of sense, rather than yet another left-handed hitter filling in for Wells against a left-handed pitcher.

I expect Wells to progress offensively next year while maintaining excellent defense and game calling abilities. The Yankees appear to be set at catcher for the foreseeable future. Again, the only quibble I have would be that the backup should be a right-handed hitter for balance. I realize that the Yankees frequently used Rice in that role down the stretch to get him into the lineup. That will not be an issue next year.  

If Wells remains healthy, I could see him putting up close to thirty home runs and at least eighty-five RBI. I certainly hope the Yankees don't revisit the notion of using Wells as the leadoff hitter. He is better suited to a spot lower in the order. Regardless, Austin Wells will be the starting catcher for the 2026 New York Yankees.