Yankees keeping Austin Wells at cleanup spot in ALDS despite brutal month

Austin Wells’ shaky September won’t impact his playing time or spot in the lineup as cleanup hitter when the playoffs start for the Yankees Saturday night.Aaron Boone said he’s not going to let a poor stretch impact his thinking about the rookie catcher.“I just feel like within that little bit of a bump, we’re seeing a real mature hitter,” the Yankees manager said Friday on the eve of the ALDS series against the Royals.“I mean, it’s one at-bat, but I go back to that at-bat that we clinched in against [Cionel] Perez [of the Orioles] where to me it was the at-bat of that game that set us up.“I just feel like he’s swung the bats well through this week.

I feel like the week off has probably served him well.Feel like he’s had good live at-bats this week.

But I have a lot of confidence in the presence he brings there.”In September, Wells posted an anemic .111/.217/.194 slash line with just four extra-base hits and a dismal .411 OPS.The Yankees didn’t believe it was the result of wear and tear despite Wells appearing in 115 games, the most of his professional career.

Wells had said he wasn’t tired, either, and felt he simply had to do a better job at laying off the pitcher’s pitches.“I think that I probably tried to do too much at the end of the season and got away from what was making me successful,” Wells said.He added: “I think even the last week or so, my at-bats got back to where I felt they needed to be.I feel good.”Maybe this time off can help him as well.

The 25-year-old backstop enjoyed a strong year until his struggles late.He was considered to be in the mix for AL Rookie of the Year honors.

He produced a .936 OPS in August, a .941 mark in July and .769 in June.Overall, Wells finished with 13 home runs, 55 RBIs and a .718 OPS in 354 at-bats, providing a left-handed power bat in the middle of the lineup to separate righty mashers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

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