When Jose Trevino went on the disabled list with a quad injury on July 13, he and Austin Wells split playing time evenly, appearing in 48 games each.
Wells’ hitting has continued to improve since then, making him a vital part of helping the Yankees get back to a 50-50 platoon when Trevino returns from the disabled list as early as next week.
“He’s probably going to get a lot of playing time in Austin, where he’s been for the last month, six weeks,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday before the Angels’ 9-4 series-clinching win over the Yankees. “But we expect Trevy to play quite a bit, too.”
“One of the things I’ll keep in mind is, especially as we get into the middle of August and we rely so much on Austin, we want to make sure we keep him sharp and fresh through the end of the season and hopefully beyond.
“So Trevi will play a little bit, but Austin is definitely getting more and more playing time.”
Wells was 1-for-4 as of Thursday, but has reached base in 10 of his past 12 starts and has posted a .380 batting average and a 1.030 OPS during that time, coinciding with his time in an everyday role in Trevino’s absence (Carlos Narvaez has started just three of the 19 games since taking over for Trevino).
The left-hander also handles cleanup duties most days, but on Thursday he was deployed as the fifth batter as Giancarlo Stanton was batting fourth against left-hander Tyler Anderson.
Wells was hitting well before Trevino’s injury, batting .306 with a .939 OPS in his last 31 games since June 6.
However, Boone indicated he is unlikely to use Wells as a DH on days when Trevino plays catcher.
This is mainly because when Stanton isn’t DH, Boone tends to use Aaron Judge as the DH and move him out of center.
Trevino, meanwhile, is scheduled to do some base running on Thursday and begin a rehab assignment Sunday or Tuesday (the minor league team is off on Monday).
DJ LeMahieu may have a chance to prove his recent success wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
The veteran infielder struggled for most of this season, going 1-for-4, but since being left out of the starting lineup for five straight games, he is 6-for-16 (.375) with two doubles, one home run and nine RBIs in his last four starts.
And the Yankees are scheduled to face two more left-handed pitchers in this weekend’s series against the Rangers, with even more starters on the way.
“I knew what I had to do, I just didn’t know how to do it,” LeMahieu said before Thursday’s game, “but I think having a couple of days off gave me a little bit of a different perspective and allowed me to take a closer look at some things.”
“I was trying the same thing over and over again, but it just didn’t work. It was good to see some results and feel a little more positive about what I was trying to do.”
Boone said LeMahieu “continues to make a difference.”
“I feel like I have a little bit more balance throughout my swing, a little bit more posture,” Boone said. “I’m starting to look more like DJ.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was just 3-for-19 at-bats in his first five games at Yankee Stadium, hit a solo homer off Anderson in the second inning for his first home run in pinstripes.
Oswaldo Cabrera hit a home run in the ninth inning on a 102 mph fastball from Ben Joyce.
