New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells is a merry prankster with an excellent online persona. Recently, he's thrown his whole heart into a series of Instagram food reviews - or, more specifically, breakfast burrito ratings. If, say, a major-league catcher wanted to make his burrito account go a little more viral - in more ways than one - he might drum up a publicity case of food poisoning.
Hopefully, that's not what happened here. But it is pretty ridiculous that, for the second time in just over one week, a Yankees starter is missing a game due to the same violent illness.
Cody Bellinger, of course, dipped out on a frigid cold game in Detroit after a night spent cursing the heavens over a plate of hotel wings. We're still waiting patiently for Wells' accusatory postgame demolition of whatever food did this to him, but regardless, here are the facts: he's out Friday in Tampa battling food poisoning, after missing Thursday's game for what Aaron Boone deemed a regular off day.
Ironically, this is the second consecutive game where backup JC Escarra has caught Carlos Rodón. They had a nice thing going in the last one, too, before one too many breaking balls were delivered to Jung Hoo Lee. Unfortunately, that delivery only made us sick.
Austin Wells out of the lineup for a second straight day. Boone said yesterday was just a normal day off.
Austin Wells out of Yankees' Friday lineup vs. Rays with food poisoning
Notably in Friday night's lineup is Jazz Chisholm Jr., who's batting fifth one night after getting ejected, then tweeting his NSFW displeasure from the dugout while the game was still occurring. He deleted the post, but the ethics of his transgressions are still reportedly being debated internally in MLB. If there's punishment to come, either in the form of a suspension or fine, he'll have to wear it.
Hopefully, if Chisholm is forced to the bench, Wells returns at the same time, renewed, refreshed, and ready to swear off whatever food caused him a familiar nightmare. If it was a burrito ... from George M. Steinbrenner Field, no less ... we swear there'll be hell to pay.
Wait. It can't be a coincidence that Wells got sick in the only "road" ballpark he can't, in good conscience, give an honest review to. We smell another conspiracy.
