The New York Yankees’ “June Swoon” is getting real despite Aaron Boone‘s rejection of the narrative. Last June, they suffered a brutal 29-inning scoreless streak, scoring only five runs across a five-game losing skid. This June, things are getting far more concerning as Aaron Judge is lost indefinitely with his rib fracture. The Yankees’ fans were just recovering from this shock when Boone confirmed that Austin Wells is also hitting the IL.

“Austin came in late last night and complained about some neck stuff that was leading to a headache. So, we got today with the neurologist just to put him through the battery of tests and everything and check out negative for that. But we want to look into the neck, and how that is affecting things, so we’ll have a battery of tests tomorrow,” SNY Yankees quoted Boone.

Wells’ pain was later confirmed as a cervical headache. He was the Yankees’ primary catcher this year, starting 47 games so far. So, Wells hitting a 10-day IL means another shuffle is coming up in the starting lineup. While there was no prior indication of Wells’ injury, the move to put him on the IL was made on Saturday as the game against the Boston Red Sox was washed out. The injury is related to an incident on May 19, when he got drilled by the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jesus Sanchez’s backswing in his helmet.

2026 was not proving to be great for Wells as he was hitting .166 and had scored just 4 homers so far. The worst part was his strikeout rate, as he struck out 45 times in 145 at-bats. An unreal downfall from his 2025 season, when he scored 21 homers. While his impact this season has not been there, his inclusion in the IL just adds to the long list of problems for the team when it comes to fitness.

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“It’s tough to play the game with one catcher,” Boone said. “That’s a tough place to be. And just with the neck and head, it’s not something you want to mess around with. So we feel like we had to make the move here.”

The 26-year-old now joins Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Jasson Dominguez in the IL, and the absence of so many sluggers is already impacting the team as the Yankees have dropped 4 out of their last 6 games. Judge is projected to be out for 4-6 weeks if things don’t get worse hereon. The Yankees recorded just .230 last July when Judge was sidelined.

This time, not only Aaron Judge, but also a part of the Yankees’ offense is now missing, which led the way to a difficult situation in terms of their catcher role.

The Yankees just had a rollercoaster ride with their catcher position

The Yankees first demoted JC Escarra to the minors. They then promoted Ali Sanchez to take up the catching role, only to recall Escarra again. All of this transpired in the last 24 hours.

“It just felt like, with our catchers struggling a little bit offensively, obviously, just felt like the opportunity exists for Ali to get up here and give us a different look, and give J.C. a chance to go down there and play a little more regularly,” Boone said about promoting Sanchez over Escarra.

Both Wells and Escarra are left-handed hitters, while Sanchez is right-handed. So, while Sanchez taking up the starting catcher role could bring a positive change, the Yankees further thought of platooning him with Escarra. A Left and right-handed combination to take over from Wells.

Escarra also struggled this season, hitting .177 without a homer. Sanchez is slashing .227/.327/.375 with a .702 OPS and six homers through 40 games in Triple-A this season. So, it’s too early to conclude that the Yankees’ catcher struggle will now be resolved. But Boone will now have the option to rotate as per the requirement. Will that immunize them against “June Swoon”? Only time will answer.