The Yankees have found their new leadoff hitter in Austin Wells, who’s been thriving at the top of the order throughout spring training. Manager Aaron Boone seems committed to keeping the second-year catcher in that role to begin the 2025 season.
“I like him there,” Boone said Sunday. “It may continue to evolve. I don’t know that we’ve seen many lefty starters at all. I might change it up there if we were to see a left-handed starter possibly. But I’ve really liked him in that spot.”
The leadoff spot opened up when the Yankees let Gleyber Torres walk in free agency. Torres signed a one-year deal with the Tigers after serving as New York’s primary leadoff hitter down the stretch and through their World Series run last season.
Wells has been penciled into the leadoff spot since February 28 and hasn’t been moved since. The results speak for themselves – he’s hitting .355 (11-for-31) with three homers and a 1.122 OPS this spring. Sunday’s performance included a leadoff double and a walk in three at-bats.
“I think he profiles well for it,” Boone added. “But there’s also a number of guys I could still envision being in that role. That hasn’t changed necessarily. It’s more the fact that I just really like what I’m seeing with Austin and think he can be pretty dynamic there.”
The Yankees’ lineup is undergoing significant changes heading into 2025. Juan Soto’s departure forced them to add bounce-back candidates like Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. They’re also likely to start the season without Giancarlo Stanton, who’s dealing with bilateral elbow injuries that will probably land him on the IL.
Wells took over as the Yankees’ starting catcher in mid-July last season and quickly established himself as one of baseball’s most productive backstops. From July 12 onward, his 2.1 fWAR ranked third among all catchers, trailing only Milwaukee’s William Contreras (2.7) and Seattle’s Cal Raleigh (2.6).
The 24-year-old finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting after his impressive debut. Now the Yankees need Wells to take another step forward in 2025 – and it looks like he’ll be doing it from the top of the order.
