Yankees trade catcher Alex Jackson to Orioles as Austin Wells breaks out of slump
The Yankees traded away another organizational catcher Sunday, shipping Alex Jackson from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Orioles.
Jackson is again a big leaguer and joins a group of former Yankees catchers or catching prospects that includes Luis Torrens, Jose Trevino, Carlos Narváez and Kyle Higashioka, the Yankees stockpiling — and in many cases, then off-loading — capable catchers.
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They have felt comfortable trading so many chiefly because of their belief in Austin Wells, who is now reminding of his upside.
“The last two days, I feel like he has swung the bat like Austin Wells,” manager Aaron Boone said after Wells launched his second home run in as many days, a mini run that has followed 50 consecutive at-bats without a dinger.
Wells has emerged, first smacking a solo shot against Frankie Montas on Saturday before demolishing a shot to the second deck in right field against Zach Pop for the game’s first run in what became a 6-4 Yankees victory at Citi Field on Sunday.
On a Yankees team that had a rough June and a rough start to July, Wells’ offensive struggles have stood out.
He entered the Subway Series in a 6-for-37 rut with 11 strikeouts, two walks and a .436 OPS in his previous 12 games. Ben Rice had started to see some time behind the plate, and the circulation issue that popped up in Wells’ index finger became cause for alarm.
But Wells has said the finger issue has not affected him on the field or at the plate, and perhaps he has found something in his swing.
Beyond the home run, he added an RBI groundout in the fourth and fought through an eight-pitch at-bat in the eighth that ended with a sharp single to right.
“I think there’s more — I expect more — of him offensively,” Boone said of Wells, who bumped his OPS to .728. “And I even said something to him after the game, like: ‘That’s you. Let’s go.’ ”
In exchange for Jackson, the Yankees received international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash.
Jackson, a 29-year-old who owned a .772 OPS in 44 minor league games this season, replaces another former Yankees catcher in Gary Sánchez, whom Baltimore placed on the injured list with a knee injury.
Max Fried (five-plus innings, three earned runs on six hits and a walk) strongly argued with home plate umpire John Bacon after he was charged with a pitch-clock violation in the first inning that made a 2-2 count against Francisco Lindor a 3-2 count.
According to Fried, the on-deck hitter (Juan Soto) was standing in front of one timer.
So he glanced to the timer on the third base side, saw one second remaining and lifted his leg.
“I take pride in not giving up free pitches and free balls,” said Fried, who bounced back to strike out Lindor. “Just in that spot, I felt like they called it a little too quick.”
Giancarlo Stanton’s 118 mph double in the fourth inning was his 58th batted ball that left his bat at least that speed since 2015, the most in the majors. Second place: Oneil Cruz with 19.
Before the game, the Yankees re-signed Geoff Hartlieb to a major league deal, added the righty to the roster and optioned lefty Jayvien Sandridge to SWB.
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