CLEVELAND — A Positive Update for the Yankees
The Yankees received some encouraging news regarding Austin Wells. After their 10-inning victory against the Guardians, Manager Aaron Boone mentioned that initial MRI results for Wells were reassuring. This came after Wells was placed on injured reserve over the weekend due to neck headaches.
“So far, so good,” Boone noted. “I expect he’ll meet with the doctors again this week, and we’re hopeful he can begin his recovery soon.”
On Monday, JC Escala took on the catching duties, marking the end of a hectic four days that began when he was optioned to Triple-A late on Friday. It was Escala’s first start back after his suspension, though he ended the night 0-for-2 due to catcher interference. He was eventually substituted for pinch hitter Amed Rosario, who was later replaced by Ali Sanchez.
Just 12 hours after his selection, Escala was enjoying pizza in New York with his family—relishing the brief grace period to report to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre—when he received the message to stay in town.
As fate would have it, Escala was “recalled” to the Yankees because of Wells’ symptoms, without missing a beat in their season. Now, both Escala and Sanchez are part of the lineup, originally a move made to add a right-handed bat.
Escala lightheartedly remarked to the Post, “They didn’t even give me time to think about it. I have an apartment in New York, so I wasn’t in a rush to leave my family behind, which is tough since I have games every day.”
He then further mentioned, “A few hours later, they called and said, ‘How fast can you get here?’ Here we go! Everything happens for a reason, but I’m just focused on doing the best job I can. I took the bad news well, but this is really where I want to be.”
It’s worth noting that Escala has built connections with various members of the Yankees’ starting rotation over the past two seasons, which may have helped ease the adaptation to larger roles.
Boone acknowledged some unconventional circumstances behind Escala’s options, saying, “He’s been great with our pitchers and really embedded in our culture over the past few years. I’ve always felt he could contribute more offensively. A lot of that is just getting the chance to play regularly. I trust him when he’s at the plate.”
Meanwhile, Boone indicated that Giancarlo Stanton might return for the upcoming homestand from June 16 to 21 against the White Sox and Reds, with plans for Stanton to work on his hitting and running this week.
In a pivotal moment of the 10th inning, Max Schumann earned a walk that set the stage for Cody Bellinger’s two-run homer to tie the game. Schumann had come into the game as a pinch runner after Paul Goldschmidt, navigating between Ben Rice and Bellinger.
He confidently challenged a 3-1 strike call and, feeling sure of his decision, began removing his hitting gear once it was confirmed as ball four.
“I honestly felt a bit relieved when he started doing that,” Boone chuckled.
