Yankees manager Aaron Boone hit on several topics on Monday ahead of the first game of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays in The Bronx...
Gerrit Cole call-up imminent?
With Elmer Rodriguez being optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following his start Sunday and Yovanny Cruz’s promotion, the focus turns to what that means for Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery and his 2026 season debut.
“We’ll see, we’re kinda talking about that here today and tomorrow,” Boone said about Cole. “And we’ll make a call one way or the other.”
Boone added that they are going to talk with Cole to see what “makes the most sense” with him moving forward and if his next outing is another rehab start at Triple-A or with the Yanks.
“Just kinda everyone that’s involved from the training staff, Gerrit, just wanting to do the right thing, what’s the right timing?” Boone said. “Again, whatever we do, it’s with the long game in mind. A need doesn't necessarily mean we're bringing him back.
“If we feel like he’s absolutely ready to go and checked all the boxes, then we’ll make that call.”
With that said, he added that Cole’s next start being with the Yankees is "on the table.”
Cole last pitched on Saturday for Scranton, when he allowed one run on six hits and a walk with six strikeouts, which Boone called “mostly excellent.”
“Good, he looks really good,” Boone said of Cole’s start. “I think this outing was a little more with competition in mind, going to get guys out and stepping on it stuff-wise. I think he threw 85, 86 pitches. Finished really strong. I think I’ve watched every single pitch he’s made in rehab. I think it’s gone really well.”
On Cruz’s promotion, the manager said they “felt like we needed the extra arm in [the bullpen] today.”
“We really like the upside, obviously,” Boone said of Cruz. “Really kinda caught our eye at the end of [spring training] with some really strong outings. Obviously, it is the big arm, 100 mph, good slider, has had some success down there, has had some struggles down there.
“Just felt like we needed the extra coverage today, felt like he was the guy in line.”
On Austin Wells' struggles
For the second-straight day, Wells is not in the Yankees lineup as the catcher is going through it at the plate, batting .164 (10-for-61) with 20 strikeouts to eight walks for a .519 OPS in his last 19 games. The skipper is giving the backstop the day, but it doesn’t seem like this will be a long-term absence.
"Obviously been scuffling this trip,” Boone said of Wells, who is 2-for-14 with seven strikeouts in his last four games. “[Sunday’s] game, the way it turned out with him getting in there for half the game, I just felt like today with the lefty, another good day to have him down."
"It's terrible,” Wells told reporters on Monday. “You can read the numbers. So it's not good."
Boone believes that despite Wells’ struggles of late, he will return to form.
“He’s always been a hitter, and he’s had some inconsistencies certainly at this level, but he’s also hit at this level,” the manager said. “He’s hit 20 homers a couple times, has shown stretches of where he’s a really tough out, there’s some power there, obviously.”
Boone noted that Wells, who won’t turn 27 until July, is “still a fairly young player in the league” and is dealing with a famously difficult position to balance hitting and defense.
“When you’re a front-line catcher, too, and there’s a lot of responsibilities on your plate, as we talk about with a lot of guys, it doesn’t just happen overnight,” Boone said, adding later, "He's catching really well, which is the No. 1 job, right?
“… He’s certainly, I think, established himself as an outstanding defensive catcher and a leader of our staff. So he’s been able to separate the two, which is very important, but I expect more out of him offensively, and we gotta keep working to try and get him on track."
Wells' biggest strength behind the plate is his framing, and he's in the 95th percentile in stealing calls in MLB.
Ben Rice could catch, but with him offering such great production at the plate – leading the league in OPS at 1.077 with 15 home runs in 42 games – and having a hand injury earlier in the month, it doesn’t appear the Yanks want to risk him behind the plate.
Asked if he expects Wells to be back in the lineup Tuesday against Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, Boone said, “We’ll see.”
In the meantime, J.C. Escarra again starts in Wells' place, but his hitting isn't much to write home about either, with a .174/.224/.283 slash line for a .507 OPS in 16 games this year.
Jose Caballero ramping up
Caballero played catch ahead of the game in the first bit of baseball activities since landing on the IL with a broken finger.
“He’ll play some light catch today,” Boone said, adding he’d been taking grounders earlier. “Seems like he’s been improving every day.”
Boone said it “feels like” Caballero’s IL stint will be for the minimum of 10 days, but that is contingent on him continuing to improve.
