The New York Yankees have never had a catcher hit leadoff in a regular-season game in their long history.
That is slated to change Thursday.
Austin Wells, the team's starting catcher, will lead off on Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium, manager Aaron Boone confirmed on the Talkin' Yanks podcast Tuesday.
The decision is not unexpected. Wells led off for most of the Yankees' Grapefruit League games in Florida this spring. He was also in the leadoff spot in the club's exhibition finale against the Marlins in Miami on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Wells is not a traditional leadoff hitter. While fast for a catcher, he is not an elite runner. But his blend of plate discipline and power, the Yankees decided, made him the best choice to hit in front of Aaron Judge -- at least for now.
"The speed part does not factor [in for] me where I'm putting them," Boone said.
Wells emerged as the Yankees' starting catcher last season, taking the job from Jose Trevino during rookie season that concluded with him finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. A first-round pick in 2020, Wells made substantial strides defensively while batting .229 with 13 home runs and a .718 OPS in 115 games mostly as the team's cleanup hitter.
He raked in the Grapefruit League this spring, batting .372 with six home runs and a 1.263 OPS in 15 games. He hit one of those homers in his first at-bat as a leadoff hitter.
"He's kind of taken to it," Boone said. "But we'll see. It'll remain in flux."
Boone went on to mention rookie Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ben Rice as other leadoff options against right-handed pitchers over the course of the season. Dominguez is a switch-hitter who has historically been significantly better batting left-handed against righties. Chisholm and Rice, like Wells, hit left-handed.
Against left-handed starters, the Yankees are toying with the idea of having former MVP Paul Goldschmidt lead off. Goldschmidt led off once this spring, Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 37-year-old first baseman has never led off in the majors as he enters his 15th season.
"I flirted with Goldy there the other day," Boone said, "which is not out of the realm of possibility either."
The Yankees began last season with Gleyber Torres as the everyday leadoff hitter, but moved him down in the order after 12 games because he struggled. Anthony Volpe then led off the next 76 games before he was also dropped in the lineup due to struggles. New York had six players in the top spot between early July and mid-August before Torres reclaimed the role for the remainder of the season through the World Series.
The Yankees let Torres walk in free agency without making him an offer before he signed with the Detroit Tigers, leaving them without an obvious choice for the leadoff spot for the 2025 season. Wells will get the first shot -- and will make some history with it.