Yankees Could Still Use Ben Rice as Catcher

Ben Rice was a jack-of-all-trades for the New York Yankees in 2025. It's funny, considering there was a chance he wouldn't even make the team this time last year. Coming out of Spring Training, the veteran first baseman with a history of his own in New York, Dominic Smith, was on fire.

The job eventually went to the young Rice, and he ran with it. The lefty slugger hit 26 homers, had an .836 OPS, a 133 wRC+, and accumulated 3 WAR, according to Fangraphs.

On Catching

One thing that stood out was Rice's versatility. There were high hopes for Austin Wells to take a leap in his second full season, and when that didn't happen, the Yankees called on Rice to pick up his old catching equipment and become the backstop for the time being. He shone in that role before Wells eventually reclaimed it.

New York Yankees Catcher Ben Rice and pitcher Paul Blackbur — Sep 27, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Paul Blackburn (58) is greeted by catcher Ben Rice (22) after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

For the upcoming season, Rice says if the Yankees need him to catch, he'll do it.

"What's been communicated to me so far is that I'll be prioritizing the work over at first base, but also keeping the catching in the equation," Rice said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I'm going to continue to work at both, and probably lean a little bit more towards first base for now."

Boone's Thoughts on Rice at Catcher

Manager Aaron Boone said Rice's role as catcher may fluctuate. He's happy to have the flexibility in case of an emergency.

"We'll see as we go into Spring Training what makes the most sense from getting the most out of him," Boone said of Rice. "I think it's an important skill that he possesses that you don't necessarily want to go away, because he is capable back there.

"Even if that turns into being the No. 2 catcher or having that flexibility of having a third catcher on the roster, there's some real value in that, too."

Rice vs. Wells at Catcher

Rice was a viable candidate at catcher, though he did display poor defensive metrics at the position. His -1 Catcher Framing Runs was in the 42nd percentile. His 2.07 pop time was one of the worst in the league. He was in the 1st percentile in that category.

Wells, on the other hand, was one of the best framers in the sport. His 12 Catcher Framing Runs were in the 96th percentile. That ranked him third in baseball His 1.97 pop time was a slight improvement, though it still wasn't great. He was in the 39th percentile in that category.