Yankees Could Still Use Ben Rice As Catcher

Ben Rice was a jack-of-all-trades for nan New York Yankees successful 2025. It's funny, considering location was a chance he wouldn't moreover make nan squad this clip past year. Coming retired of Spring Training, nan seasoned first baseman pinch a history of his ain successful New York, Dominic Smith, was connected fire.

The occupation yet went to nan young Rice, and he ran pinch it. The lefty slugger deed 26 homers, had an .836 OPS, a 133 wRC+, and accumulated 3 WAR, according to Fangraphs.

On Catching

One point that stood retired was Rice's versatility. There were precocious hopes for Austin Wells to return a leap successful his 2nd afloat season, and erstwhile that didn't happen, nan Yankees called connected Rice to prime up his aged catching instrumentality and go nan backstop for nan clip being. He shone successful that domiciled earlier Wells yet reclaimed it.

For nan upcoming season, Rice says if nan Yankees request him to catch, he'll do it.

"What's been communicated to maine truthful acold is that I'll beryllium prioritizing nan activity complete astatine first base, but besides keeping nan catching successful nan equation," Rice said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I'm going to proceed to activity astatine both, and astir apt thin a small spot much towards first guidelines for now."

Boone's Thoughts connected Rice astatine Catcher

Manager Aaron Boone said Rice's domiciled arsenic catcher whitethorn fluctuate. He's happy to person nan elasticity successful lawsuit of an emergency.

"We'll spot arsenic we spell into Spring Training what makes nan astir consciousness from getting nan astir retired of him," Boone said of Rice. "I deliberation it's an important accomplishment that he possesses that you don't needfully want to spell away, because he is tin backmost there.

"Even if that turns into being nan No. 2 catcher aliases having that elasticity of having a 3rd catcher connected nan roster, there's immoderate existent worth successful that, too."

Rice vs. Wells astatine Catcher

Rice was a viable campaigner astatine catcher, though he did show mediocre protect metrics astatine nan position. His -1 Catcher Framing Runs was successful nan 42nd percentile. His 2.07 popular clip was 1 of nan worst successful nan league. He was successful nan 1st percentile successful that category.

Wells, connected nan different hand, was 1 of nan champion framers successful nan sport. His 12 Catcher Framing Runs were successful nan 96th percentile. That classed him 3rd successful shot His 1.97 popular clip was a flimsy improvement, though it still wasn't great. He was successful nan 39th percentile successful that category.