The Yankees lineup is held back by Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells’ slump

Aaron Judge isn’t the only one weighing on the Yankee lineup lately.

The team turned to two of its most recent first-round picks to get younger over the past two seasons, and Anthony Volpe has proven to be a solid everyday shortstop, even if his offense is inconsistent.

And Austin Wells took over from Jose Trevino as the starting catcher in the second half of 2024.

The moves have worked well enough to put the Yankees in their first World Series since 2009, but both are off to terrible starts in a series against the Dodgers, with the Yankees dropping the first two games and coming back to The Bronx looking to turn the series around in Game 3 on Monday night.

The two players, who came up through the minor league system together, earned their spots in the lineup with the bases loaded and the Yankees trailing by two runs in the top of the ninth of Saturday’s Game 2 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

It didn’t go well.

Volpe whipped in a 2-2 sweeper from right-hander Blake Treinen that ended well out of the strike zone in the second out of the inning.

The Dodgers then went to left-hander Alex Vesia to face the lefty-swinging Wells, and Aaron Boone didn’t even let Wells come to the plate.

Instead, Trevino was used as a pinch hitter versus a lefty, although the veteran catcher has just one hit in the postseason.

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He lined up to center on the first pitch he saw to end the game.

It was part of what has been the two tight ends of the series for the players drafted a year apart, with Volpe going 30th overall in 2019 and Wells 28th overall in ’20.

After an impressive first two rounds of the postseason in which Volpe took some of his best at-bats of the year, showed great patience at the plate and hit the ball hard consistently, he is hitless in eight at-bats against the Dodgers with four strikeouts.

Indeed, the only time Volpe has reached base in his past 11 plate appearances was an intentional walk in the top of the sixth of Game 1 against lefty Anthony Banda.

Wells’ slump dates back to his final 14 games of the regular season, when the catcher went 3-for-45 with a dozen strikeouts.

“Wells just keeps having the same game over and over,” said one AL scout. “It’s not like with Volpe where the Dodgers have handled him well and maybe he can make an adjustment. With Wells, it seems like he’s doing it to himself.”

Overall this postseason, Volpe has a .270 slugging percentage, with Wells coming in at .171.

And if the Yankees are going to stage a comeback, they’re going to need more than just Judge to get started.