With Anthony Rizzo sidelined, the New York Yankees have promoted top prospect Ben Rice to replace the veteran first baseman. Anthony Rizzo will miss four-to-six weeks after fracturing his right arm in an awkward collision on Sunday. The 25-year-old was promoted from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 5. Rice is batting .333/.440/.619 with three homers and 10 RBI through 11 games as a Railrider. He is hitting .275 with 15 homers and 36 RBIs this season, spanning Double-A and Triple-A.
The Yankees are calling up Ben Rice to replace Anthony Rizzo. Between AA and AAA he had a .275.393.532 slash line with 15 homers.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) June 18, 2024
Drafted as a catcher, Rice has been getting more work at first base this year. His playing time between the two positions has been relatively even, drawing 22 starts at first base and 28 starts behind the plate. With Jose Trevino and Austin Wells sharing catching duties for the Yankees, Rice is expected to see the most playing time first. The Yankees are expected to split time between Oswaldo Cabrera at third base along with Rice and DJ LeMahieu at first while Rizzo is sidelined.
“I feel good over there [at first base],” Rice said. “It’s a learning process, like any other position would be. It’s just like anything; you’ve just gotta keep going out there and keep seeing balls come off the bat, getting grounders, knowing where to be on the field in different situations. But I definitely like the improvements I’ve made over there so far.”
Yankees Promoting Top Infield Prospect Ben Rice
Despite only playing 11 games at Triple-A, Rice’s impressive offensive performance justifies his early promotion to the majors.
Through 70 games, Rizzo has hit .223 with eight home runs, 28 RBIs and a .630 OPS. The Yankees sat the three-time All-Star for two back-to-back games last week as he worked on his swing. LeMahieu, who debuted on May 28, has also struggled at the plate this season. The two-time batting champion has slashed just .188/.304/.188 with a .491 OPS and four RBI through 15 games.
With LeMahieu struggling, Rice could see at least semi-regular reps at first base for the Yankees. However, the 35-year-old will still see time at first base against southpaws, given the rookie’s significant split against same-handed pitching.
Ben Rice will be with the Yankees as they open their three-game home series against the Orioles on Tuesday.
Main Photo: © Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
