The New York Yankees have started up Spring Training with pitchers and catchers officially reporting to kick off the season.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the team once again after a strong offseason. With pitchers and catchers coming in first to camp, all eyes have been on some of the newest additions, Max Fried and Devin Williams.
Both of these players should make a positive impact on the pitching staff in 2025 with their All-Star pedigrees.
While a lot of the attention has been on the pitchers, the catcher position provides some intrigue for New York. Austin Wells will without a doubt be the starter for the Yankees in 2025 after an impressive rookie campaign. However, who the backup will be is somewhat of a question mark.
During a recent press conference, manager Aaron Boone spoke about talented prospect Ben Rice being behind the plate a bit to start the spring. Here’s what Boone had to say about where their 25-year-old might play.
In terms of being able to play both first base and catcher, that provides a lot of value for New York’s roster construction. Being able to back up at both positions could afford the Yankees to be able to carry another pitcher or bench player to help in other areas.
Even though Rice played a majority of his time at first base when he was called up last year, he split time at the positions in the minors both in 2023 and in 2024. However, there is a significant difference between catching in the minor leagues and the Majors that will require a lot of work.
Calling a game and the defensive aspect will be a challenging learning curve for Rice, who doesn’t play the position full-time. However, getting comfortable with potentially one pitcher and solely being his catcher could be an option to help expedite things.
There is a lot to like about Rice’s ability to produce on offense. In the minors last year, he slashed .273/.400/.568 with 24 home runs and 59 RBI in 79 games. Those are some impressive numbers at the plate, especially in the slugging department.
Even though he didn’t perform as well in the majors last year, he did showcase some of the power with seven home runs in 152 at-bats.
Overall, getting Rice to work at both spots makes a lot of sense. Having that type of defensive versatility could be very useful for the Yankees, especially with an older right-handed hitter at first base.
