Despite the Yankees’ ranking second in the AL East with a 28-19 record, manager Aaron Boone still has a few things to worry about. His starting catcher, Austin Wells‘ slump, is one of them. While Wells is doing wonders behind the home plate, ranking among the top catchers in the league, boasting a Defensive Runs Saved of +5, his bat is offering nothing.

The Yankees catcher is currently batting .173 and has belted just three home runs so far. No wonder Aaron Boone has reason to be concerned. Last year, J.C. Escarra was optioned to the minors despite hitting .202/.296/.333 with two home runs.

“Not many words to describe how bad I’ve been,” Wells said. “I’ve got to do better to pick the team up.”

Sunday’s Subway Series decider was the latest example of Austin Wells struggling at the plate. He had two at-bats, the first coming in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs. Wells swung at the first pitch and grounded out.

His second at-bat came in the 10th inning with runners on first and second and one out. Once again, he could not deliver, grounding into a double play to end the inning.

“Against Manaea [in the seventh], I knew he was a pretty heavy heater, especially to the lefties early,” Wells said. “So I was looking for a fastball, was a little late. And then the next one, I was looking for something up in the zone to get a ball in the air. It was a little above the zone, which I don’t really know how I hit it on the ground. Was looking to move the runner and drive them in.”

The score was tied 6-6 after the ninth. With runners on first and second in the 10th, even a deep outfield drive or sacrifice fly could have moved the Yankees into a stronger scoring position. Instead, Wells’ grounder ended the threat, and the Mets walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Andrew Ewing’s sacrifice bunt helped set up the winning run as the Mets closed out a narrow 7-6 victory.

With that, the Mets took the first Subway Series of the season over the New York Yankees in dramatic fashion, winning 2 of the 3 games.

The most surprising part was how Wells entered the regular season after a dominant WBC. Representing the Dominican Republic, he hit .267 with a double, two home runs, five RBI, and had an OPS of 1.086 across five games. Even if his last year’s figures are compared, the struggle is evident. Till the Rangers’ series last week, Wells had a dismal .198 with a double, three home runs, five RBI, and a .661 OPS.

Last year at the same time, he slashed .210/.265/.457 with six doubles, a triple, six home runs, and 18 RBI.

Now that Wells himself acknowledged his struggle, the Yankees need to think about the solution. Boone was asked if Wells will be benched for a reset.

“We’ll see,” he replied. “As good as [Wells] is behind the plate, I have a lot of faith and trust in J.C. Escarra behind the plate too, what he brings to the table. Obviously, we’ve got to get [Wells] going, want to get him going, because when he’s right, he’s a presence, especially down at the bottom of the order. We’ve got to get him there.”

The Yankees named Escarra, but the team’s catcher issue goes beyond just Austin Wells. Escarra has mainly served as a backup and is batting just .174 without a home run. The bigger concern is that both Wells and Escarra are left-handed hitters, leaving the Yankees with limited roster flexibility. Ben Rice remains an option as a third catcher, but the Yankees primarily view him as a first baseman.

However, catcher is not the Yankees’ only concern. Their bullpen has also emerged as a major issue.

The Yankees are struggling with their relief corps

The Yankees’ bullpen struggle was nothing new, and it blew a few games last year. They posted a collective 4.37 ERA, ranking as the eighth-worst in MLB. The relief corps struggled with high ERAs, severe command issues, and a lack of late-inning consistency, which forced Boone to heavily rely on a few trusted arms and frequently overtax the pitching staff.

2026 is no different. Camilo Doval is still struggling with his command and currently stands with a 5.19 ERA. Against the Brewers, Doval was entrusted with the 8th inning in a tie game but allowed Bryce Turang to get on base, steal second, and score on a William Contreras hit, forcing the Yankees into an extra-inning loss.

Then Wednesday’s game against the Orioles revealed the struggle. After Max Fried went out with an injury, Paul Blackburn took over and allowed 3 ERs on 2 hits and a pair of walks.

Thus, the Yankees are in urgent need of some new relief names. And a probable reunion might be on the cards.

Former Yankees reliever Lou Trivino is a free agent again after being designated for assignment by the Orioles. Yes, his 18.00 ERA this season is hardly encouraging, but he was dominant during his previous stint in New York. When the Athletics traded Trivino to the Yankees in 2022, he arrived with a 6.47 ERA. That number dropped to 1.66 during his time in the Bronx.

Who knows, maybe lightning strikes twice. But the Yankees clearly need more depth at the bottom of their bullpen.