Full name is Austin Kenneth Wells...In two seasons at the University of Arizona, hit .357/.476/.560 (99-for-277) with 85R, 21 doubles, 7 triples, 7HR, 74RBI and 63BB in 71 games…in his pandemic-shortened sophomore year campaign, hit .375/.527/.589 (21-for-56) with 12R, 6 doubles, 2HR, 14RBI and 17BB in 15 games…earned Second Team All-American honors by Collegiate Baseball…was named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award watch list…batted .353 (78-for-221) with 73R, 15 doubles, 7 triples, 5HR, 60RBI and 46BB in 56 games as a freshman in 2019…was named Pac-12 “Freshman of the Year”…earned First Team Freshman All-American honors by Baseball America, D1Baseball and the NCBWA…named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game/Rawlings...Entering the 2020 draft, was ranked as the No. 21 overall draft prospect by Baseball America and the No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline…was the fourth catcher to be chosen by the Yankees in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft since its inception in 1965, joining Anthony Seigler in 2018 (23rd overall, Cartersville H.S.), David Parrish in 2000 (28th overall, University of Michigan) and Thurman Munson in 1968 (fourth overall, Kent State University)...Attended Bishop Gorman (Nev.) H.S.…was named the 2016-17 Gatorade Nevada “Baseball Player of the Year” and was selected to the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game in 2017.
2023
Saw his first Major League action, batting .229/.257/.486 (16-for-70) with 8R, 6 doubles, 4HR, 13RBI and 3BB in 19 games with the Yankees (9/1-10/1)...10 of his 16 hits went for extra bases (6 doubles, 4HR)…six of his 16 hits drove in a run...Batted .317/.333/.732 (13-for-41) with 7R, 5 doubles, 4HR, 10RBI and 1BB in his final 11 games (9/16-10/1) after hitting .103 (3-for-29) with 1R, 1 double, 3RBI and 2BB over his first eight games (9/1-14)...Was signed to a Major League contract and selected to the active roster on 9/1 and made his Major League debut that night, hitting a single in his first plate appearance (1-for-4)…was the first Yankee to make his Major League debut as a starting catcher since Mike Figga on 9/16/97-G2 vs. Boston…at 24 years, 51 days, was the ninth-youngest Yankee to make his Major League debut as the starting catcher and the youngest to do so since Thurman Munson (22 years, 62 days) on 8/8/69-G2 vs. Oakland…only John Ellis (20y, 269d on 5/17/69 vs. California), Yogi Berra (21y, 133d on 9/22/46-G1 vs. Philadelphia-AL), Ellie Rodriguez (22y, 2d on 5/26/68-G1 vs. Chicago-AL), Thurman Munson (22y, 62d on 8/8/69-G2 vs. Oakland), Johnny Blanchard (22y, 211d on 9/25/55-G2 at Boston), Roxy Walters (22y, 315d on 9/16/1915 vs. Chicago-AL), Joe Glenn (23y, 301d on 9/15/32 at Chicago-AL) and Charlie Silvera (23y, 352d on 9/29/48 at Philadelphia-AL) accomplished the feat at a younger age…was the first Yankee to make his Major League debut as a catcher since Kyle Higashioka on 4/10/17 vs. Tampa Bay...At the time of his call-up, was tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in the Yankees system and the No. 81 prospect in all of baseball…was also ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 8 prospect in the Yankees organization...With OF Jasson Domínguez also making his Major League debut on 9/1 at Houston, it marked the 12th time in franchise history two players made their Major League debuts as starters in the same game, the third such time in the last 54 years (since 1970) and fourth in the last 77 years (since 1947)…joined Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin on 8/13/16 vs. Tampa Bay, Dean Anna and Masahiro Tanaka on 4/4/14 at Toronto, and John Ellis and Jim Lyttle on 5/17/69 vs. California…also marked the seventh time in franchise history two players age 24-or-younger made their Major League debuts as starters in the same game…joined Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge on 8/13/16 vs. Tampa Bay, John Ellis and Jim Lyttle on 5/17/69 vs. California, Yogi Berra and Bobby Brown on 9/22/46-G1 vs. Philadelphia-AL, Billy Johnson and Snuffy Stirnweiss on 4/22/43 vs. Washington-AL, Ben Chapman and Dusty Cooke on 4/15/30 at Philadelphia-AL, and Howie Camp, Chick Fewster and Bill Lamar on 9/19/1917 vs. Cleveland...Recorded his first career RBI with a game-tying sac fly in the fifth inning on 9/2 at Houston…with Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira all driving in a run as well, it marked just the 12th time since 1920 (when RBI became an official stat) that the Yankees had four players age 24-or-younger record an RBI in the same game and just the second time in the last 68 years (since 1956)…John Ellis (21), Thurman Munson (23), Jerry Kenney (24) and Bobby Murcer (24) also did so on 6/21/70 at Boston (confirmed by Elias)...Was one of six Yankees players age 24-or-younger to start from 9/2-3 (also Oswaldo Cabrera, Jasson Domínguez, Oswald Peraza, Everson Pereira and Anthony Volpe)…it marked the first time the Yankees had six players age 24-or-younger start in the same game since 9/11/69 at Washington-AL and just the fifth and sixth such occurrences in the last 91 years (since 1933)…marked the first time since 9/18/32-G2 that the Yankees had six such position players start in the same game...Reached base safely in each of his final 10 starts from 9/16-10/1…collected at least one hit in nine of those games…also hit safely in 10 of his final 12 starts from 9/12(G2)-10/1...Hit his first Major League home run with a solo shot in the ninth inning off Erik Swanson on 9/20 vs. Toronto...Hit 4HR in a seven-game span from 9/20-29, including three in a four-game span from 9/25-29…homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his career from 9/25-26...Drove in eight runs over a four-game span from 9/25-29...Hit his second career HR on a game-tying two-run shot in the fourth inning on 9/25 vs. Arizona...Homered in his second straight game and broke a scoreless tie in the ninth inning on 9/26 at Toronto with a two-run HR…was just the seventh Yankee (eighth time) in the last 42 years (since 1982) to break a scoreless tie with a HR in the ninth inning-or-later, joining Aaron Judge (twice: ninth inning on 7/28/22 vs. Kansas City and 13th inning on 6/16/18 at Toronto), Gary Sánchez (ninth inning on 5/1/18 at Houston), Chris Young (11th inning on 9/12/14-G1 at Baltimore), Alex Rodriguez (15th inning on 8/7/09 vs. Boston), Ruben Sierra (ninth inning on 7/22/04 vs. Toronto) and Cecil Fielder (10th inning on 8/2/96 at Kansas City)...Recorded a career-high 4RBI and hit his fourth career HR — a three-run shot in the fourth inning — on 9/29 at Kansas City. Recorded a career-high 3H in his final game of the season on 10/1 at Kansas City, including a career-high two doubles...Combined to hit .240/.333/.442 (89-for-371) with 46R, 24 doubles, 17HR, 72RBI, 48BB and 7SB in 96 games with Single-A Tampa (rehab assignment), Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...Began the season on the minor league injured list due to a fractured rib…played in five rehab games with Single-A Tampa, batting .176 (3-for-17) with 2R, 1HR, 2RBI and 3BB…was reinstated with Somerset on 5/2...In 58 games with Double-A Somerset, batted .237/.327/.443 (54-for-228) with 28R, 14 doubles, 11HR, 50RBI, 29BB and 5SB...Was promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on 7/21…hit .254/.349/.452 (32-for-126) with 16R, 10 doubles, 5HR, 20RBI, 16BB and 2SB in 33 games with the RailRiders.
2022
Combined with High-A Hudson Valley, Single-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset, batting .277/.385/.512 (93-for-336) with 60R, 17 doubles, one triple, 20 HR, 65 RBI, 56 BB and 16 SB in 92 games…among Yankees farmhands, ranked second in SLG, tied for second in RBI, tied for third in HR and fifth in OPS (.897)…began the year with Hudson Valley, batting .323/.429/.576 (32-for-99) with 21 R, seven doubles, six HR, 16 RBI, 19 BB and nine SB in 28 games…was assigned to Tampa on 6/24, where he hit .231 (6-for-26) with five runs, two doubles, two HR, six RBI and eight BB in nine games…was promoted to Somerset on 7/5, where he finished the season…in 55 games with the Patriots, he hit .261/.360/.479 (55-for-211) with 34R, eight doubles, one triple, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 29 BB and seven SB…following the season, was ranked by Baseball America as the Yankees’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 94 overall prospect in baseball…was also labeled by the publication as the “Best Power Hitter” among Yankees farmhands…was named a MiLB.com Organization All-Star.
2021
Made his professional debut, hitting .264 (101-for-382) with 82R, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 16HR, 76RBI, 71BB and 16SB in 103 games with Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley…ranked among Yankees minor leaguers in walks (second), runs scored (second), RBI (third), OPS (fourth, .866), triples (tied for fourth) and extra-base hits (fifth, 44)…began the season with Tampa, hitting .258 (61-for-236) with 61R, 17 doubles, 4 triples, 9HR, 54RBI, 51BB and 11SB over 65 games…his 61R were tied for the fifth-most in the Low-A Southeast… on 7/8 at Dunedin, went 3-for-3 with 4R, 1 double, 1HR, 6RBI and 2BB in the Tarpons’ 21-2 win…was promoted to Hudson Valley on 8/3…in 38 games with the Renegades, hit .274 (40-for-146) with 21R, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 7HR, 22RBI, 20BB and 5SB…recorded a career-high 5H on 9/5 at Greensboro (5-for-6, 2R, 1HR, 1RBI, 1BB)…following the season, played in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros, hitting .344/.456/.578 (22-for-64) with 14R, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 2HR, 18RBI, 13BB and 1SB in 18 games… was named the AZL “Player of the Week” for 10/18-23 after hitting .538/.600/1.154 (7-for-13) with 3R, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1HR, 5RBI and 2BB over three games…was also named to the West Division’s roster for the AFL “Fall Stars Game” on 11/13…following the season, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 5 prospect in the Yankees organization…was labeled the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees system by MLB Pipeline…was also named a Organization All-Star by MiLB.com.
2020
Selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the First-Year Player Draft...Following the season, was named the Yankees’ No. 5 prospect by Baseball America.
