Is Austin Wells Hurt Or Soft?

Austin Wells must be hurt, right? Why else is this guy taking it easy as it’s being reported. 

Wells still hasn’t taken a full swing, though he did hit in the indoor cage on Sunday. According to him, it’s not due to an injury—he’s simply “not ready yet” and is “taking it a little slower.” That sounds like an odd excuse for a 24-year-old rookie coming into his first full season, especially when his late-season performance was already a concern. Before September, Wells was hitting .259 with a .795 OPS and 12 home runs over 94 games, but then he completely fell off, batting .111 with a .411 OPS and just one home run over his final 21 games of the regular season. It didn’t get any better in the playoffs, where he managed just a .120 average and a .460 OPS.

So, what exactly is going on here? Why are we treating a young player like he needs to be eased into anything? He should be out there getting as many reps as possible, especially after how he finished last season. I can’t picture a Carlton Fisk or Thurman Munson ever handling things this way. Instead of ramping up and trying to prove himself, Wells is now reportedly going to sit out start of the Grapefruit League entirely. And we’re just supposed to believe this is all normal? Boone said Wells won’t make his Grapefruit League debut until March 1 due to last year’s heavy workload. That comes from the Daily News reports. Sweet Lord, have we gone soft.

Frankly, something doesn’t add up. Aaron Boone spent the other day assuring everyone that “all the physicals were good,” yet now we’ve got Cousins, Stanton, and possibly Wells dealing with mysterious issues. (Read SO ARE THE PHYSICALS GOOD OR ARE THEY NOT? ) 

Boone’s word means nothing at this point. He’s become the mouthpiece for an organization that increasingly looks like it’s trying to hide something. Are the Yankees being honest about Wells’ condition? Or is this another case of Boone blindly covering for a front office that refuses to be transparent with the fans? It is my opinion that something is up.

At what point do we stop taking this manager seriously? Every year, we hear the same vague explanations, the same non-answers, and the same blind optimism, all while injuries and underperformance continue to plague the team. If Wells is hurt, just say so. If there’s something else going on, be upfront about it. But if this is just another example of Boone’s soft approach to managing, then the Yankees have a bigger problem than just one catcher sitting out of spring training.