Yankees' Ben Rice: Could get starts at catcher soon
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated Wednesday that Rice could see starts at catcher after Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) returns from the 60-day injured list, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.
Rice caught two innings in Tuesday's win over the Royals, with Boone calling Rice's performance behind the plate "noticeably excellent." It's the fifth time this season that Rice has seen action at catcher this season, and while he has yet to make a start at catcher at the big-league level, it was his primary position in the minors. Rice is not going to overtake Austin Wells as the primary backstop for the Yankees, but mixing him in at the position will allow Boone to fit Stanton and others in the lineup. It would also greatly boost Rice's fantasy appeal if he's able to gain catcher eligibility.
Rice went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Dodgers.
Rice put the Yankees ahead 3-1 in the third inning with his blast. He's hit safely in five of his last six games, going 6-for-21 (.286) with two homers and a 3:5 BB:K in that span. The 26-year-old is batting .250 with an .875 OPS, 12 long balls, 25 RBI, 31 runs scored, 11 doubles, one triple and two stolen bases across 197 plate appearances this season.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Rice is not in the Yankees' starting lineup against the Dodgers on Saturday.
Aaron Judge will serve as the Yankees' designated hitter while Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger start in the outfield. Rice has slashed .230/.293/.446 with three home runs and 10 RBI across 82 plate appearances since the beginning of May.
Rice went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-2 win against the Angels on Tuesday.
There wasn't much offense in the game, so Rice's 423-foot solo blast in the fourth inning was quite important in what turned out to be a one-run New York victory. The long ball was the 11th of the season for Rice, but just his third so far in May after he went deep seven times in April. Rice is still getting consistent starts -- he's been in the lineup for four of the Yankees' past five games -- but could begin to see a drop in playing time when Giancarlo Stanton (elbows), who is tracking toward an early-to-mid-June return, is activated off the injured list.
Rice is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Rangers.
Although he had started the previous two games, Rice has seen his playing time dip recently, as this is his fifth time absent from the lineup across the last 11 tilts. Aaron Judge is in the designated-hitter spot Thursday, and the Yankees will roll out Jasson Dominguez, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger in the outfield.
Rice went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a sacrifice fly in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rangers.
Rice entered Tuesday's game with a .173 batting average across 37 plate appearances against left-handers, but he put the Yankees on the board in the second inning by taking southpaw Patrick Corbin deep to right field for a solo homer. Rice extended the Yankees' lead to two runs on a sacrifice fly in the fourth frame, which gave him his sixth multi-RBI game of the season. Rice has a .902 OPS across 165 plate appearances this season, which is fifth best in the American League.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Taking seat Friday
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.
Rice is hitting just .225 in May but still has a .761 OPS this month thanks to six doubles and a homer, and he finds himself on the bench Friday for the second time in the Yankees' past three games. Jasson Dominguez will receive a turn at designated hitter while Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge start from left to right in the outfield.
Rice isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mariners.
Rice will get a chance to catch his breath Tuesday after going 1-for-6 with an RBI and two strikeouts during Monday's victory. Jasson Dominguez will fill in as New York's DH and bat seventh.
Rice went 2-for-3 with a grand slam, a walk and two runs scored in Sunday's win over the Athletics. He also reached twice via hit-by-pitch.
Rice demolished a fifth-inning grand slam to put the Yankees ahead 10-1. Dating back to April 29, eight of his 10 hits have gone for extra-bases, and he now sits eighth in baseball with a .937 OPS. The power Rice has shown so far this season has been remarkable. He hit seven home runs in 178 plate appearances as a rookie last year and is already up to nine in 144 plate appearances in 2025.
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