At least for offensive reasons, Austin Wells had been approaching unplayable territory, and even GM Brian Cashman acknowledged in July the catching position had grown into “an issue, clearly.” 

From the start of the season to Aug. 2 — a stretch of four-plus months only interrupted by a June stint on the injured list — the Yankees’ starting catcher owned the worst average (.161) and OPS (.537) in baseball among the 240 hitters who took as many at-bats as he did. 

And since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, when the Yankees essentially committed to Wells playing full time as he began to show signs of life, he has been the most played catcher in the sport, squatting for 42 of 47 games and catching 5,779 pitches, both tops in that span. 

“That’s awesome,” said Wells, whose rare days of rest are about to evaporate. 

Starting Tuesday, Wells in all likelihood will be the everyday Yankees catcher for the postseason. If Ali Sánchez catches for one meaningful inning, either something has gone wrong for the Yankees or a game has turned sideways. 

After Game 162 on Sunday and beginning when the Red Sox visit The Bronx for Game 1 of the wild-card round, Wells will take a knee behind the plate for a maximum of 22 postseason games, and he feels ready for the challenge. 

Austin Wells scores on his solo home run during the sixth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Rays on Sept. 24, 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for NY Post

“I feel solid [physically]. It comes and goes — you take a foul ball to the face, you make a couple of throws in a couple of games, your arm starts hanging a little bit,” Wells said this week. “But this is how I want it. This is where I want to be.” 

It would have been difficult to envision this is where Wells would be a few months ago. 

A prospect known for his bat who had been OK offensively — roughly league average — in his first three seasons while showing off a defensive acumen that was far better than expected. If this season the Yankees expected a jump, what they saw instead was a nosedive. 

It kept getting worse. He was hitting .200 at the end of April, .178 at the end of May, .155 at the end of June. 

Austi Wells rounds third base to score on Ryan McMahon’s double during the fifth inning of the Yankees’ win over the Orioles in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Sept. 25, 2026 at the Stadium. Robert Sabo for NY Post

The team sees the turning point as the 15 days he spent on the IL in June with cervical headaches, time that allowed Wells to physically feel better, and to tweak his swing and generate more loft. 

In the 15 games preceding Cashman’s trade-deadline decision, Wells posted an .886 OPS, demonstrated far better plate discipline (seven walks and eight strikeouts), clubbed three home runs and showed the Yankees enough that the club did not overpay for a starting or a complementary catcher. 

The Red Sox, for instance, gave up plenty of prospect capital for Adley Rutschman (who could make those prospects well spent with a few swings in the wild-card series). Ryan Jeffers remained in Minnesota. 

The Yankees stuck with Wells and Sánchez, who has been a true backup. 

“You feel like he’s that threat again down there, and that’s massive,” manager Aaron Boone said earlier this month of Wells, who since that Aug. 3 moment of truth has posted a .785 OPS, proving the Yankees’ faith correct. 

“Feel like I’m seeing the ball well, trying to have good at-bats and turn the lineup over, get on base for the guys at the top,” Wells said Thursday. “Do whatever’s necessary to win the game.” 

This is where Wells was two years ago, when he started 12 of 14 (and played in all 14) postseason games in his first full season in the majors, which ended with the World Series loss to the Dodgers. 

This is where Wells was last year, when he started all seven of the Yankees’ games against Boston and Toronto. 

He has learned that the wear and tear of October can be ignored. If he plays every day, he has no time to think about the toll it is taking, which then becomes clear once the offseason starts and his body actually heals. 

“You just roll with it,” said Wells, who is among the select few Yankees (Cody Bellinger, and perhaps Ben Rice and George Lombard Jr.) who is expected to get everyday run in the playoffs. “Being behind the plate every day — that’s where I want to be.”