It's Time for the New York Yankees to Make a Move With Ben Rice

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball this season, slashing .330/.447/.717 with 11 home runs and 26 RBI over his first 132 plate appearances.

For as well as Rice swung the bat early last year, he has been even better in 2026, developing into one of the league's most lethal weapons.

While many envisioned a breakout coming for the lefty slugger, you probably won't find many who anticipated Rice being this efficient at the dish.

But what makes Rice even more valuable is his ability to play catcher.

The 27-year-old was a backstop in the Yankees' farm system before being moved over to first base, but Rice did catch 36 games for New York in 2025 (with 26 starts). Is he the best defensive catcher in the world? No, but the fact that he can play back there is significant.

The Yankees are currently employing Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra as their primary two backstops, and neither of them inspire much confidence at the plate. Wells still can't seem to get out of his own way with a .678 OPS, and Escarra just doesn't seem like he will ever become serviceable as a hitter.

So why not move Rice back behind the plate to serve as Wells' backup, which would then allow New York to demote Escarra and replace him with a better hitter elsewhere on the roster?

I'm not saying Rice should be catching 70-80 games a year. He'll wear down that way, and it will have an adverse effect on his offensive production. But there's no reason why the Yanks can't put him behind the plate 40-50 times.

This would allow the Yankees to not have such a dead spot in the order when Escarra plays, and we know the bottom of the lineup has been an issue for the Bronx Bombers the last several seasons.

Aaron Boone has not ruled out the idea of Rice catching, and as we get deeper into the 2026 campaign, it's something that absolutely should happen.

Rice's versatility makes him even more valuable in this regard, so New York should certainly be taking advantage of it.

We'll see how much longer the Yankees go before they just make this move and get it over with.

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