Yankees' Jose Trevino gets nod over Austin Wells behind the plate for Game 3 of World Series

Austin Wells is not the only Yankee to struggle at the plate in this postseason, but the rookie’s difficulties there have been so pronounced that the Yankees thought a change at catcher was necessary.

And so Jose Trevino got the start for Monday night’s Game 3 of the World Series against the Dodgers at the Stadium, even with Los Angeles starting a righthander in Walker Buehler.

Still, Aaron Boone said the decision wasn’t easy.

“It’s really hard to take [Wells] out from behind the plate with as well as he’s doing back there,” Boone said a few hours before first pitch. “But obviously it’s been a tough stretch for him offensively.”

That is an understatement.

The lefthanded-hitting Wells came into Monday 4-for-41 (.098) with 18 strikeouts and a .330 OPS in 11 postseason games.

“I don’t know,” Boone said of what he’s made of Wells’ numbers. “Because I think he’s a really good hitter. And even through this, I’ve seen that in the at-bats. But, obviously, not getting results. There’s more swing-and-miss in there than he had.

“And I really do still have confidence, even moving forward in this series, that he’s going to have a big at-bat in a big spot, because that’s who he is. I feel like his DNA is he’s a hitter. But he’s gone through it a little bit.”

There is risk going with Trevino, who started for the second time in this postseason. With Cleveland starting lefthander Matthew Boyd in Game 3 of the ALCS, the righthanded-hitting Trevino got the nod and contributed an RBI single in a 7-5, 10-inning loss.

Trevino has never been much of a threat at the plate — though Boone liked his at-bat when he pinch hit for Wells with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning of Game 2 and hit a 345-foot flyout to center — but has always been considered a strong defender, especially when it comes to framing pitches.

Trevino used to be one of the better catchers at controlling the running game, but that hasn’t been the case since he had season-ending surgery on his right wrist in July 2023.

Though it wasn’t the sole reason for Wells taking over everyday catching duties this season — Wells’ bat and the fact that the club sees him as its catcher of the future were the main reasons — Trevino’s inability to consistently throw out baserunners, or even come close to throwing them out most of the time, played a role.

Those issues came to a head on June 16 at Fenway Park, when the Red Sox stole a franchise-record nine bases in a 9-3 win over the Yankees.

“Hopefully we all do our part in helping shut down the running game a little bit,” Boone said.

Boone also said he hasn’t noticed the slump getting to Wells mentally.

“Honestly, I don’t. I really don’t,” he said. “And part of that is, as a catcher you’re so involved in so many aspects and he’s doing such a good job back there [defensively]. And I still feel like he has a ton of confidence at the plate. Obviously, he wants to do well, but I don’t sense that with him at all.”

Meanwhile, Wells’ troubles with the bat gave Trevino, who grew up a Yankees fan in Corpus Christi, Texas, an opportunity to cherish.

On his way into the interview room before Monday’s game, it was something he talked about with the club’s longtime media relations director, Jason Zillo.

“It sounds very cliche of me, but it’s a young kid’s dream,” Trevino said. “I was just talking to Zillo outside, man, and being able to put on this uniform and perform in a World Series game, this is every kid’s dream come true.”

Notes & quotes: Five-time World Series champion and Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game, delivering a strike to Oswaldo Cabrera. Jeter, who famously told President George W. Bush to throw his ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series from the mound and to make sure not to “bounce it” because he would get booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd, threw his pitch from the rubber on Monday. Paul O’Neill is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 on Tuesday night . . . Carlos Rodon pitched Game 2 with a blister issue and said afterward that he doesn’t see it prohibiting him from making his next start, which likely would be in Game 6 in Los Angeles, if the series gets that far. “That’s kind of the feeling, Boone said, “but obviously we’ll pay attention to it.”