ST. LOUIS — As much struggling that second-year catcher Austin Wells has done at the plate, the Yankees still love the way he handles the pitching staff and his framing is elite. Also, his 15 homers and 56 RBI in 353 plate appearances show he’s been pretty productive for a .206 hitter.

As for Wells playing a lot less frequently over the last three weeks, this isn’t all based on performance.

This is about getting regular starts for Ben Rice , who now is sharing the catching duties with Wells after beginning the season as the regular DH when Giancarlo Stanton was on the injured list for the first 70 games.

It’s same situation for the Yankees over at first base, Rice’s other position.

The Yankees aren’t down on Paul Goldschmidt, whose solid rebound season at age 37 has gone from si

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