Austin Wells and Partner Expecting a Baby

Austin Wells and his partner, Caroline Neilson, have shared the joyful news that they’re expecting a child. They made the announcement through a heartfelt post on Instagram this past Friday.

“This is our greatest blessing and most pleasant surprise,” Neilson expressed in the post’s caption. “I can’t wait to meet our little bug.”

The announcement was complemented by their first official Instagram photo together, showing them on the field at Yankee Stadium. In the images, Wells holds a mini Yankees jersey featuring his last name, while Neilson proudly displays an ultrasound image.

This announcement followed soon after Wells, at 26, wrapped up his second complete season with the Yankees.

This past season, Wells participated in 126 games, achieving career highs for a catcher with a .219 batting average, .275 on-base percentage, .436 slugging percentage, along with 21 home runs, 22 doubles, and 71 RBIs.

Even with those solid numbers, his overall performance was a bit less impressive than his rookie year in 2024, where he placed third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

The Yankees are facing some competition in the catcher position. Ben Rice has been performing notably well, boasting a .255 average with a .337 on-base percentage and .499 slugging percentage. Rice, also 26, is known for his defensive skills, while J.C. Escala has primarily played first base and designated hitter this season.

Throughout the postseason, Wells was behind the plate for all seven Yankees games. Manager Aaron Boone stated during the ALDS, “We really have a lot of confidence in him down there.”

Despite his ups and downs at the plate, Yankees pitchers have praised Wells for his game management skills, with his pitch framing ranked third-best among catchers in the league this season, according to Baseball Savant.