Mar 19, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees first base Ben Rice (93) is congratulated in the dugout after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

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Is Ben Rice a Lock for Yankees’ DH?

1B? Catcher? DH?

Catcher, first base, DH – what do you need Ben Rice to do? He’ll do it. Whatever you ask. He just wants to be in the lineup.

ALSO READ: Giancarlo Stanton Injury Update: Yankees Veteran Dealing With More Than Elbow Issues

We already know Ben Rice can hang at the big-league level. Do his 2024 numbers scream that? Not exactly. But when he went back-to-back-to-back for three home runs in a single game against the Boston Red Sox, becoming the first rookie in Yankees history to pull that off, you saw the potential.

Ben THRICE! pic.twitter.com/0nYSXJs3yq
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2024

That hot streak cooled fast. He finished the season with just 26 hits in 178 plate appearances, seven homers (three from that one game), 23 RBIs, a .171 average, and a .613 OPS. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Yankees still love his power, his eye at the plate, and his overall approach. Even Aaron Boone has hinted that Rice hasn’t been rewarded for some of his hard contact.

This spring, that power is showing up in a big way. Rice homered for the fifth time last night, launching a 110.3 mph shot off Taijuan Walker. He also drew two walks and is now batting .283 with a .974 OPS through 15 games.

“Rice is controlling every at-bat, it seems, and hitting the absolute s**t out of the ball. That ball today was hit really hard,” said Yankees latest acquisition Cody Bellinger on Ben Rice, who’s having a pretty good spring himself.

Rice, Rice, Baby 🍚 pic.twitter.com/FhKD9lLzlw
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 19, 2025

So where does he fit? Paul Goldschmidt isn’t playing every single day, so Rice will get some reps at first. Catching? Austin Wells is the only real lock, and while the Yankees are considering JC Escarra and Alex Jackson as backups, Rice could sneak in some time there. But the most likely landing spot? DH. Giancarlo Stanton is injured, and out for a while. Aaron Judge will rotate in opening the door for Trent Grisham in the outfield. That means Rice won’t get every at-bat, but with the way he’s been hammering the ball this spring, he might just end up getting the most.

ALSO READ: Yankees Opening Day 2025: Predicted Starting Lineup

At least early on.

Ben Rice

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.