Jose Trevino’s injury is a brutal loss for the New York Yankees. What a difference only a year can make. After breaking out with an All-Star season in 2022, his 2023 season has come to an early end.
Jose Trevino: “It’s very frustrating. I want to be out there. I want to play; I love to play. I love to catch, I love to wear the pinstripes. There’s nothing more than I want to do than go out there and play, but at this point, I’m not helping anybody.”
— Bryan Hoch
(@BryanHoch) July 21, 2023
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According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, the 30-year-old veteran catcher will require season-ending surgery to repair a tear in his right wrist. Hoch says that the team expects Trevino to be ready in time for Spring Training next season. Trevino joins Josh Donaldson as the second Yankee in a week to suffer an injury that requires them to miss significant time.
Jose Trevino Injury: Catchers Wanted
A Disappointing Season
Trevino struggled mightily at the plate this season. In 55 games he batted .210/.257/.312 and was only able to muster an OPS+ of 58. Despite belting a career-best 11 homeruns last season, Trevino has always been known as a glove-first catcher. The Yankees catcher earned a Platinum Glove in 2022. He is also noted as one of the top pitch framers in the game, collecting a league-high 17 Catcher Framing Runs in 2022, according to Baseball Savant.
Gerrit Cole & Ben Rortvedt are working together for the first time today, a result of Jose Trevino’s injury.
Ben and Gerrit spent extra time yesterday going over their game plan, per Aaron Boone. Trevino and Kyle Higashioka are involved in helping Rortvedt adjust as well.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 22, 2023
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To replace Trevino’s spot on the roster, the Yankees recalled catcher Ben Rortvedt from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 25-year-old catcher was a part of the March 2022 trade that saw Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela shipped to the Minnesota Twins for Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Due to a slew of injuries, Rortvedt has only played in a little over 80 games throughout the Yankees minor league system in the last two years. He also got a cup of coffee earlier this season, playing in 5 games for the Yankees in late May.
Despite injuries cutting into his playing time, Rortvedt has excelled at the plate this year. Through 33 games in the minors, he is hitting .291/.404/.513 with an OPS of .916. Despite once being considered a glove first catching prospect, the left-handed hitting catcher has developed offensively. Jose Trevino’s injury will give Rortvedt an opportunity to prove his value.
Making Way For The Youth Movement
Rortvedt is slated to play a much bigger role for the team in his second go-around this year. Together with right-handed hitting Kyle Higashioka, the duo will likely platoon for the remainder of the season. Making a trade for an available big-league catcher is still an option for the Yankees. But with many teams still in the playoff hunt, it won’t be a buyer’s market. The team will have to pay a premium to acquire any suitable backstop.
Austin Wells has his first extra-base hit in Triple-A with a double, 91.8 mph off the bat. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/BA988ZusTk
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) July 23, 2023
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Internally, the Yankees could also turn to their top-catching prospect Austin Wells for an extended look at their possible starting catcher of the future. As a former 1st round draft pick back in 2020, Wells posted strong offensive numbers in his first two minor league seasons. Wells has seen some regression this season, with a .233/.325/.437 slash line across Single-A and Double-A. The Yankees still like what they see in Wells. He earned a promotion to Triple-A to fill Rortvedt’s roster spot.
Wells is projected to see MLB action at some point this season. It remains to be seen if the Yankees are willing to go all in with the 24-year-old at this point in his career. The team has received inconsistent returns from their highly touted catching prospects since Jorge Posada retired back in 2011. Jesus Montero showed flashes of brilliance before a trade sent him to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Pineda in 2012. Sanchez was once thought to be the long-term catching solution for the Yankees. But streaky offensive performance and below-average defense made him expendable. Only time will tell if Wells will be able to succeed where others have failed.
Photo Credit: © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Jose Trevino, Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt, Gary Sánchez, Gio Urshela, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Kyle Higashioka, Austin Wells, Jorge Posada, Michael Pineda
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