BALTIMORE — The Yankees entered the season with plenty of catching depth and now they may need to rely on it.
Jose Trevino was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left quad strain sustained sliding into home in Friday’s win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.
To take his place on the roster, the Yankees called Carlos Narvaez up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
And Austin Wells, who was already getting more time behind the plate, will certainly see even more action in Trevino’s absence.
That might not be a bad thing, as Wells has been better at the plate of late and delivered the biggest blow of Saturday’s 6-1 win over the Orioles with a towering three-run shot to right field in the top of the first.
Jose Trevino was placed on the 10-day IL by the Yankees on Saturday. Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
It was Wells’ sixth homer of the season and fourth since June 29.
He’s also gone deep three of the last six times he’s started.
“I feel I’m in a good spot,’’ Wells said. “The more reps and the more at-bats I get, the better I’ll be.”
Trevino returned to New York to get more tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Jose Trevino was injured on a slide into home on Friday. APRegardless of how much time Trevino misses, Aaron Boone said he has no plans to use rookie Ben Rice at the position now that the lefty-swinging Rice has begun to get regular time at first base in place of the injured Anthony Rizzo.
“For right now, [Trevino’s injury] doesn’t change my plans at all,” Boone said of Rice, who came up through the minors as a catcher, staying at first base. “And that’s partly because we have a ton of confidence in [Narvaez].”
Austin Wells #28 of the New York Yankees hits a three-run home run in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 13, 2024. Getty Images
New York Yankees’ Austin Wells runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run off Baltimore Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 13, 2024. APBoone said despite Narvaez not having played in the majors before, the organization has been impressed by what he’s been able to do.
“He has a great presence, great skills behind the plate [and has] got some power offensively,’’ Boone said. “So when I put him in there in the lineup, I’ll do it with a lot of confidence. We have no plans to alter what Ben is doing. He obviously can catch, but we need him at first base.”
The Yankees like Narvaez’s pitch-framing ability and he hit well at SWB, but in his last eight games there, Narvaez had just one extra-base hit.
He was signed by the Yankees out of Venezuela in 2015 as an international free agent.
Even before Trevino’s injury, Wells had seen his playing time increase.
After Trevino started six of seven games from June 19-27, Wells has behind the plate for nine of the last 15 games.
Boone said he expects the Yankees to see more right-handed pitching even after the All-Star break when the Yankees open the second half against Tampa Bay, meaning the lefty-swinging Wells would get the majority of time, anyway.
“We’ll see,’’ Boone said. “But I won’t be hesitant to go with [Narvaez].”
