Ben

Rice

Both of Rice’s hits were singles. The second was off a lefty in Gregory Soto, which seems good since his playing time against southpaws is in question right now. However, it was just a slow roller to second that he was able to beat out.

Rice was shut down from hitting after sleeping on his neck wrong earlier this week. It sounds like a relatively minor physical issue but fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slugger has emerged as one of the more polarizing hitters in the fantasy landscape as he’s gone off the board 54th overall, on average, in NFBC drafts since February 1.

Clarke Schmidt went on the 60-day IL to open up a spot. Goldschmidt joined the Yankees as their starting first baseman last year, but he’ll mostly be asked to play against lefties this season after faring far better against them than righties last season. Ben Rice will surely lose a few at-bats as a result of the move, but it seems like Austin Wells might fare worse with Rice set to do some catching this year.

This confirms some speculation last week from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. While the Paul Goldschmidt reunion looked like something tough for Rice after Goldy played against left-handers last year, this is a terrific update for Rice’s fantasy value. He may even be able to maintain catcher eligibility for 2027 if he gets into enough games at the position, giving him some extra keeper league value going forward.

Rice is likely to come off the board as a top-five catcher in fantasy drafts this spring, but he’s rapidly becoming one of the more polarizing hitters in the entire fantasy landscape. He ranked among the league’s upper echelon in average exit velocity (95th percentile), barrel rate (92nd percentile) and hard-hit percentage (97th percentile) during last year’s 26-homer breakthrough campaign. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slugger appears poised to catch more often than originally anticipated with the Yankees bringing back veteran lefty-masher Paul Goldschmidt to handle the cold corner against southpaws. Kirshner notes that Rice, who is currently viewed as the club’s third backstop, could potentially move into the backup catcher role behind starter Austin Wells in addition to serving as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching to free up a roster spot for someone like Jasson Domínguez. The added playing time opportunity comes paired with the inherent injury risk that has always followed catchers behind the plate.

The financial terms come from Jon Heyman of The New York Post. It’s been said that Ben Rice was going to get a shot against lefties this year, but that hardly seems to be case now, at least not while everyone is healthy. It’s certainly an understandable move by the Yankees. Goldschmidt, a future Hall of Famer perhaps entering his last season at age 38, hit .336/.411/.570 in 168 plate appearances against southpaws last season. Besides diminishing Rice’s role, his return figures to push Jasson Domínguez back to Triple-A, again assuming that the starting lineup makes it through the spring healthy.

No surprise here. This certainly changes if Cody Bellinger re-signs with the Yankees this offseason. Rice walloped 26 round-trippers in just 138 games this past season, splitting time between the cold corner, DH and catcher. The 26-year-old figures to draw the occasional start behind the dish, but those opportunities will likely evaporate if he establishes himself as New York’s long-term answer at first base. He’ll retain catcher eligibility for at least one additional season, which makes him an early-round pick in all fantasy drafts next spring as a top-five range option at the position.

There was speculation that Paul Goldschmidt might get a start against Shane Bieber, perhaps at Rice’s expense, but the Yankees are staying the course with their season on the line.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone will not make any changes with New York facing Blue Jays rookie sensation Trey Yesavage following a lopsided series-opening defeat earlier this weekend. Here’s the full lineup: Trent Grisham (CF), Judge (RF), Cody Bellinger (LF), Ben Rice (1B), Giancarlo Stanton (DH), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B), Ryan McMahon (3B), Anthony Volpe (SS) and Austin Wells (C).

Bellinger is good to go after suffering a bruised heel during Thursday’s series-clinching victory over the Red Sox on a slide into home plate. The presence of Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman gives New York the clearance to roll with a lefty-heavy lineup that also includes Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. in addition to Ryan McMahon.