The Yankees' rookie catcher must be removed from the mop-up spot

After months of exceeding expectations, New York Yankees rookie catcher Austin Wells has hit his first extended lull. It seemed like he had things figured out when he was moved to the Order's mop-up spot during the regular season, but the last month has been a real struggle for him.

Austin Wells of the Yankees has been in a slump for some time now

In the final 15 games of the regular season, Wells hit .083 (4 for 48) with 13 strikeouts and no home runs. His last home run came on September 9 against the Kansas City Royals. These issues continued into the postseason, as he is 2-for-20 (.100) with a .282 OPS in his first playoff appearances and has a strikeout in 36.4% of his plate appearances.

Wells earned the starting spot over the course of the season after performing very well, and he appeared to add immense depth to the lineup while also serving as strong protection behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. However, his problems not only affect him from an individual perspective, but they are also crucial for the team's problems with the runners in the scoring.

So far in the postseason, the Yankees are just 6 of 42 (.143) with runners in scoring position. In Monday's ALCS Game 1 win over the Guardians, New York was 0-7 with RISP, despite the boys scoring in each of the first three innings.

Wells' cleanup issues are partly to blame for Aaron Judge's slow playoffs

Wells' struggles have also been a reason why Judge has endured a difficult postseason so far. With Judge not having adequate protection behind him in the lineup, the eventual MVP had to adjust his approach at the plate, which resulted in him pursuing more borderline pitches in hopes of making solid contact to drive in runs.

So far in the playoffs, Judge has hit just .133 without hitting a home run. He failed in six of his 22 plate appearances and struggled to get going in October. While some have suggested that swapping Judge and Soto's spots in the lineup would help, a simpler solution would be to move the struggling Wells down the rankings and put the red-hot Giancarlo Stanton back in the mop-up spot.

Giancarlo Stanton is the answer in cleanup for the Yankees

Stanton has been the Yankees' best hitter so far this postseason, with a .368 batting average, two home runs and an OPS of 1.244. He's played most of the year at No. 5, but perhaps moving him back to the mop-up spot can provide the right protection for the Yankees' two superstars.

Stanton is undoubtedly the most feared hitter on the team right now, so pitchers should avoid him playing with guys on base as much as possible. That could allow Judge to see better pitches he can drive, which could not only help him get out of his playoff funk but also make the team's offense stronger.

Averaging just 3.8 runs per game, they've struggled to put up strong numbers in the playoffs so far. Their dominant pitching has been the focus and is a big reason why they have been successful so far despite the lackluster offense. Moving the struggling rookie from the mop-up spot in favor of the hot bat in Stanton could help them find success in run-scoring situations more often.

So far, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has not indicated whether he is considering making a roster move before Game 2 on Tuesday. However, it's a move they should definitely consider if they want to jumpstart their offense for the rest of the playoffs.