Yankees catcher Austin Wells' breakout is only a matter of time

Austin Wells has not lit the box score on fire when he has been in the lineup.

The New York Yankees catcher has struggled since making the Opening Day roster. He has posted a .091/.256/.091 batting line in his 43 plate appearances. Wells has begun ceding time to fellow backstop Jose Trevino during his struggles. A demotion to Triple-A would make sense given his struggles and recent lack of playing time.

However, there are reasons to believe that Wells can turn his season around. He has displayed a solid eye at the plate, drawing eight walks with only seven strikeouts. 

Wells ranks 36th in the majors, with a minimum of 25 plate appearances, in barrels per plate appearance at 9.3%. That mark is better than the likes of Matt Olson and Fernando Tatis Jr. 

His Statcast page is covered in red, showing that he is making solid contact. Statcast projects Wells as having a .241/.387/.492 batting line based on his batted ball metrics which would make him one of the better hitting catchers in the game.

Wells has been valuable in other ways for the Yankees. Randy Miller from NJ.com noted that Yankees pitchers have a lower ERA when Wells is behind the plate. Statcast shows Wells as being in the 90th percentile at framing pitches. 

His offensive woes have not impacted his defense, allowing Wells the chance to get back on track.

The Yankees are not concerned that Wells is being overmatched. Mark Sanchez from the New York Post reported on Saturday that the Yankees are confident that their rookie catcher will turn his season around. Based on his batted ball profile, it is just a matter of time before that happens.