Tuesday night saw Yankees catcher Austin Wells have one of his best performances of the 2026 MLB season. The veteran backstop went 3-for-6 with an RBI in the 15-1 drubbing of the Royals, marking just his fourth multi-hit performance of the campaign and his first since Apr. 28. It was a long time coming, to say the least. As great as it was to see Wells register a trio of hits, though, the Yankees' catcher situation is still a problem. Even including that performance, the 26-year-old catcher is still only batting .181 with a career-worst .579 OPS on the season, overshadowing the solid job he does at managing games behind the plate. Backup catcher J.C. Escarra hasn't been productive either, slashing .200/.250/.291 as he's still seeking his first home run of the season. In other words, the Yankees still have every reason to search for a catcher upgrade before August's trade deadline. Interestingly, a potential option may have just emerged that wouldn't require New York to trade away any pieces. Yankees should keep an eye on Elias Diaz It seems like there's a chance that former All-Star Elias Diáz will be looking for a new home. The Royals designated the 35-year-old catcher for assignment last week before outrighting him on Tuesday, according to MLB Trade Rumors' Anthony Franco. Even though he could report to Triple-A Omaha, Diáz can also elect free agency, which would give the Yankees something to think about. The 2026 season hasn't been his best performance, but Diáz is at least hitting the ball better than New York's catcher duo. He's slashing .227/.261/.591 with two home runs, five RBIs and a walk in 10 games (22 at-bats), all while boasting a better hard-hit rate (41.2%) than the MLB average (39.0%). His max exit velocity of 113.9 mph even matched his career high, per Baseball Savant. Let's also not forget that it was only three years ago when Diáz amassed 14 HRs with a career-high 72 RBIs and 34 walks en route to his MLB All-Star debut. That's a better résumé than what Escarra brings to the table, along with Wells, whose 21-HR, 71-RBI performance from last season is looking like a one-off.— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) April 30, 2026Diáz would also bring a right-handed bat to the table, which is something that the Yankees need more of. He is also a consistent hitter, regardless of which direction the ball is coming from, as he's batting .245 vs. righties and .250 vs. lefties across his 12-year MLB career. Framing for his pitchers was something Diáz struggled with early in his MLB career, but he's slowly turned things around. He has a rating of plus-6 catching runs across the last three seasons after being a combined minus-19 in 2022 and 2023, according to Baseball Savant, showing how far he's come. He wouldn't be a defensive upgrade over Wells, but he'd still offer the Yankees similar—if not better—reliability as Escarra. Nothing is set in stone yet, as Diáz would still need to elect free agency for the Yankees to have a chance to sign him. At the same time, it's hard to imagine him being comfortable with staying in Triple-A when his 36th birthday is just over five months away. Chances are that the former All-Star Game MVP would be open to joining a competitor, and who better than the Yankees? Whether it's Wells or Escarra, one of them has to go in favor of the Yankees adding a right-handed catcher to the roster. Diáz might not be a long-term solution, but he's good enough in the meantime to help New York improve its situation behind home plate without needing to give up any prospects to do it. If things don't work out, the Yankees can pull the plug and move on. All in all, it's a low-risk, high-reward situation for New York to consider. The Yankees need to act fast, though, before another catcher-needy team beats them to the punch. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow