Ben Rice Is Forcing the Yankees to Make a Big Decision About Catcher

The Yankees’ lineup feels like it’s shifting in real time with need and desperation. Monday night might have been the tipping point.

Ben Rice homered in the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Twins. 

Austin Wells didn’t play. That’s a bigger storyline than it sounds, or it least it should be. There is just over a quarter of the season left and the Yankees need players who are producing.

Wells is slumping, hitting .213/.302/.375 since July 1. Rice, meanwhile, is batting .281/.364/.500 and bringing a jolt to a lineup that badly needs one.

YES Network analyst and former Yankees catcher John Flaherty spelled it out after the game: Yankees manager Aaron Boone needs to play Rice now behind the plate. Not just because of the home run, but because of the complete package he’s showing.

Rice isn’t just a bat anymore.

 Defensively, he’s started 13 games without committing an error in 56 chances. His framing skills have drawn praise from the coaching staff and he’s earned trust with the pitching staff. Flaherty went further Monday: “He calls a good game, he has the framing skills, and he’s a big-league catcher.” 

That’s high praise from someone who knows the position’s demands.

For a team sliding toward a Wild Card battle, offensive production from the catcher isn’t a luxury. That’s a difference-maker. And right now, the Yankees need to find some depth in this lineup besides Aaron Judge, nursing a sore right elbow, and Giancarlo Stanton with two elbows with tennis elbow. 

 Rice is giving the Yankees both offense and competent defense.

This isn’t necessarily about Wells losing his job.

He still has upside and could hit his way back into the picture. But in a playoff race, the Yankees can’t afford to wait for a bat to heat up when another one is already producing.

The choice isn’t complicated. Rice has earned more starts, and the Yankees’ best shot at October might hinge on letting him run with the job now.