The New York Yankees are looking to the trade market to find a replacement for the struggling Austin Wells, reports Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Kirschner tabs Minnesota Twins backstop Ryan Jeffers as a potential trade candidate to head to the Bronx.
Jeffers is having the best offensive season of his career, posting a 163 wRC+ across 37 games. The 29-year-old is currently on the injured list with a left hamate bone fracture. He’s expected to return to action sometime in July.
A key member of the Yankees’ coaching staff has a connection to Jeffers. New York’s director of catching, Tanner Swanson, was with the Twins from 2017 to 2019. He helped the club draft Jeffers in 2028, per Kirschner. The relationship could help the team incorporate a new backstop during the season.
“Adding a catcher midseason is certainly not easy, whether you’re talking about somebody internally or potentially somebody externally,” Swanson told Kirschner. “Getting up to speed with not only what our pitchers’ strengths are and how they tend to attack hitters is honestly probably the easy part. I think the more challenging part is learning the common language that maybe an organization uses when they talk about pitching plans or how to attack hitters.”
New York Yankees Trade Pitch: Team Could Target Ryan Jeffers From the Minnesota Twins
Jeffers debuted with the Twins in the shortened 2020 season. After a few seasons as a backup, the catcher emerged as a reliable offensive force in 2023. Jeffers delivered a 136 wRC+ over 335 plate appearances that season. He cooled off in the batting average department the following year, but popped a career-high 21 home runs. Jeffers also reached career highs in games (122) and plate appearances (465) in 2024. He bumped his batting average back up to .266 last year. The veteran only managed nine home runs, but finished with a strong 113 wRC+.
Injuries have limited Jeffers in recent years. He missed a chunk of playing time in 2025 due to a concussion. The hamate bone fracture this season will cost him at least six weeks. He’s already missed a month and has yet to go on a rehab assignment. The key for Jeffers will be proving he’s healthy ahead of the trade deadline. The flailing Twins will likely look to offload the backstop, who is a pending free agent. Jeffers is making $6.7 million this season.
Wells Working His Way Back From Scary Injury
Wells went to the injured list in early June due to cervical headaches. The catcher was cleared of a concussion. He embarked on a rehab assignment this week.
After a career year that saw him hit 21 home runs in 2025, Wells has failed to deliver this season. He’s hit a miserable .166 across 47 games. The backstop has just four home runs across 169 plate appearances. The Yankees are currently rolling with J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez behind the plate. Neither player is a viable long-term fit, particularly for a team with World Series aspirations. The Yankees have the third-lowest OPS at catcher this season. Only the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have been worse on offense at the position.
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