The New York Yankees activated catcher Austin Wells from the 10-day injured list Sunday, ending a two-week absence caused by cervical headaches. Wells missed 12 games and went 2-for-12 during a three-game rehab stint with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The third-year backstop brings a .166 average with four homers and seven RBI in 47 games back to the roster.

Wells struggled before the injury, going hitless in his final 13 at-bats and 1-for-18 overall. A backswing off his mask from Toronto's Jesús Sánchez on May 19 may have contributed to the headaches, though the connection remains unclear. Manager Aaron Boone hopes the reset helps Wells find his offensive rhythm, particularly hitting in the bottom of the lineup where his presence could boost production.

To clear roster space, the Yankees optioned JC Escarra to Triple-A while keeping Ali Sanchez as the backup catcher. Escarra could return soon since Sanchez is expected to join the paternity list shortly. Sanchez is 5-for-16 in eight games compared to Escarra's .188 mark in 32 contests.

Gerrit Cole's start was pushed back to Monday in Detroit, giving the rotation extra rest after his 90-pitch outing Tuesday. Cole improved to 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in five starts since returning from elbow ligament reconstruction surgery that cost him 569 days.