TAMPA — Ben Rice might not need to lose his catcher’s gear simply but.
Whereas the rising slugger remains to be slated to be the common Yankees first baseman this season, the re-signing of Paul Goldschmidt as a veteran backup might additionally lead to a couple extra begins behind the plate for Rice, in accordance with supervisor Aaron Boone.
“I don’t anticipate it affecting Rice as a result of we expect Rice is a star and we expect he’s going to mash in the course of the lineup for a very long time,” Boone mentioned Sunday on MLB Community Radio on Sirius XM.
“Earlier than we signed Goldy again, I used to be considering Rice is really our third catcher [behind Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra]. Shield you late within the sport in the event you make an aggressive transfer with the bench or no matter, you bought that protection. Now, it most likely pushes him somewhat extra into — I don’t anticipate loads — however considerably extra of a catching function. There’s robust lefty days, we’re going to need Goldy in there, we might put Ben behind the plate as a result of we really feel he’s going to carry his personal too towards lefties.
“So it complicates it there somewhat bit, however to complete off our roster with a extremely good participant [in Goldschmidt], we felt like we needed to do it.”
Boone acknowledged that Goldschmidt “wasn’t essentially the right match” — a right-handed hitting outfielder would have been extra helpful given the composition of their projected roster — however the Yankees opted to go for what they felt was the perfect participant obtainable in free company to assist steadiness out their left-handed lean.
Goldschmidt crushed left-handed pitching final season, posting a .981 OPS, although the Yankees have mentioned they need to let the lefty-hitting Rice — who began 46 video games at first base, 26 at catcher and 48 at DH in 2025 — face his justifiable share of lefties this yr as effectively.
Whereas the signing of Goldschmidt to a one-year, $4 million deal, as The Publish’s Jon Heyman reported, mustn’t have an effect on Rice’s general taking part in time, it might have some ripple results down the remainder of the roster, notably with how the Yankees make up their bench.
If everybody stays wholesome by means of spring coaching, the Yankees bench will doubtless embody Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario and two of Escarra, Oswaldo Cabrera and Jasson Domínguez.
Escarra nonetheless initiatives because the true backup catcher, although relying on how usually the Yankees would play Rice there, that might change.
Cabrera and Domínguez are each switch-hitters who’re higher from the left aspect, although the Yankees may have Cabrera extra as a backup shortstop to José Caballero (since they didn’t appear snug taking part in Rosario there final season).
Boone, in the meantime, indicated {that a} strict bench function was unlikely for Domínguez (and prime outfield prospect Spencer Jones).
“Most likely not in both scenario a case the place we’d need them as bench items — that doesn’t imply there’s not a situation the place they’re a part of a real rotation the place there’s actual common taking part in time,” Boone mentioned. “However there’s loads to nonetheless occur between now and after we break camp in late March.”
