Ben Rice at Catcher Isn't the Solution Some Yankees Fans Think it Is

If the New York Yankees give Paul Goldschmidt playing time, it shouldn't be by moving Ben Rice off of first base.

Aug 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Ben Rice (22) and relief pitcher David Bednar (53) celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Ben Rice's moon shot against the Angels on Thursday has made it clear that there is no reason to keep him out of the lineup for any reason. He's as true a power threat as the Yankees have developed since Aaron Judge.

While Rice may not hit the heights that Judge has, he has been one of the better hitters in the sport since last season. Dating back to 2025, he is hitting .262/.351/.521 with a 143 wRC+ in 600 plate appearances.

NYY - Ben Rice Solo HR (5)

📏 405 ft | 💨 99.9 mph | 📐 26°
⚾️ 80.3 mph slider (LAA - LHP Sam Aldegheri)
🏟️ Out in 18/30 MLB parks

LAA (6) @ NYY (4)
🔻 6th#RepBX pic.twitter.com/Jce25j4EEC

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) April 16, 2026

This is why it was foolish for Aaron Boone to keep him out of the lineup for two straight games against the Angels. It's true that in one of them, the Yankees did eventually win, but that feels more like an outlier, and the Yankees are shooting themselves in the foot by keeping him on the bench.

Rice should play every day, and it should be at first base. There's been plenty of buzz about giving him catcher reps to get him in the lineup more often, but the huge downgrade in defense behind the plate isn't worth it just to get Paul Goldschmidt into the lineup against lefties.

According to the advanced metrics, Rice wasn't a great catcher last year. He was in the 28th percentile in Blocks Above Average (-2), 42nd in Framing Runs Saved (-1) and 1st percentile in pop time (2.07). None of those inspire much confidence in his defensive abilities behind the plate.

One scout's take

According to NJ.com's Bob Klapisch, one scout agrees that Rice should remain at first.

"I absolutely love Rice's bat, but you can't sacrifice pitching for his bat," the scout said. "He's a project catching. The footwork is bad. The arm isn't good. His transition is slow. He's below average at catcher."

New York Yankees catcher Ben Rice (22) and right fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrate after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 at Yankee Stadium. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

It doesn't seem like Aaron Boone has committed to Rice as a catcher either. He admitted he had his reservations last year despite some encouraging moments. The door is open, though.

"I think he really handled that well last year, and that was what was really encouraging about last year," Boone said. "Last year, I had trepidation about it, and as we slowly integrated him, I thought as the season went along, you felt really good about the days he was back there for different reasons. So we'll see how it unfolds."

Keeping Rice at first

If the Yankees ever do go with Goldschmidt, it shouldn't be in Rice's place. He should be in the lineup as an option to face a tough southpaw reliever or for the regularly scheduled Giancarlo Stanton off days.

Rice is young. The two most important things he should be working on at the moment are his first-base defense and getting used to hitting lefties.