Ben Rice...Catcher?

By Mike Whiteman October 25th, 2026 Well, we now know that the 2027 Yankees will be led by the same folks. No major surprise here. With that settled, I'm thinking more about the product on the field. The everyday lineup has multiple holes and weaknesses, and the fixes in free agency aren't plentiful, so Hal Steinbrenner can't just wave his checkbook and fix what ails the Yanks. So, the Yankees may need to get creative to improve. Creativity isn't exactly what the team of late is known for. But I have an idea. The only real place of abundance on the team is first base and designated hitter. After his acquisition at the trade deadline, Luis Garcia Jr. basically took over at first base, moving Ben Rice to full-time designated hitter. I really don't want to see Rice move into a full-time DH role at his age, plus an open and revolving DH allows Aaron Judge the opportunity to utilize the spot on occasion and help him to stay healthy as he turns 35 next season. Also let's face it - the Yankees are unlikely to just dump Giancarlo Stanton for nothing, so he'll be around and part of the DH conversation while likely on and off the roster due to injuries. Paul Goldschmidt was probably overused by the Yanks this year - they didn't have many other options - but could probably still help a team if he can utilized correctly. So that brings us to Garcia. He does have significant history at second base - a Yankee weak spot in 2026 - but his defensive numbers at the position are brutal and we all saw encouraging signs from Anthony Volpe there late in the season. The Yanks could trade Garcia at what is perhaps his highest value, and put Rice back at first, but I'm not excited about dealing a 26-year old lefthanded bat coming off a 30-home run season. So here's my idea. The Yankees should consider converting Ben Rice to primary catcher.

I know, it sounds crazy to move a 40-home run hitter behind the plate. Hear me out.

First, Rice isn't a stranger to the position. He's played 36 career games at the MLB level, 121 minor league games and experience at the college level. Now the scouting reports of Rice at catcher aren't great, but I remember another Yankee catcher who didn't scout well: Austin Wells, who could take home a 2026 Gold Glove award. The Yankees and coach Tanner Swanson helped develop Wells into an excellent defensive catcher, and I would think they could improve Rice's skills to the point where he could man the position regularly and not be a liability. Using Strat-O-Matic lingo, I think he could be at least a "3" rated defense catcher. While it's nice to have plus defense behind the plate, I don't think it's a necessity. Nobody ever mistook Jorge Posada for a Gold Glover, but the Yankees seemed to do OK with him behind the plate. Rice is an intelligent and hardworking player, and I think he could make the move. But should it even be tried? We know the risks. Catcher is a hazardous position. Look no further than Wells, whose early offensive struggles in 2026 can likely be attributed to foul tips off his head. Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer would be another cautionary tale of an elite hitting catcher who suffered multiple concussions which likely impacted his performance and necessitated a move to first base at end of his career. But that's not the whole story. Baseball history is full of catchers who could hit. Having an elite hitting catcher behind the plate takes pressure off the other positions. With Rice behind the plate and producing, the Yanks would be more able to let George Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe go at shortstop and second, allowing to develop with pressure only to make the plays in the field.

Rice immediately becomes perhaps the best hitting catcher in the game. The lineup logjam eases up and looks pretty good, with Rice, Garcia, Judge, and Cody Bellinger in the middle of the order. Go big an add a player like Teruaki Sato from Japan at third base (the Yanks do have plenty of money coming off the payroll) and they become fearsome. Put Spencer Jones, Volpe, and Lombard Jr. at the bottom of the lineup and just let them play every day, with pressure off due to the big boppers. And yes, it gives Giancarlo Stanton a clear spot as DH - obviously requiring a solid Plan B. I'm not saying Rice takes an overload behind the plate. The Yanks should get a good right-handed hitting catcher who can start about 60 games and allow for regular DH days to keep Rice fresh. There are certainly risks to this plan, but the reward of an elite hitting catcher is hard to resist, and makes building a team with the headwinds of labor strife and a poor free agent market more attainable. Also, just think about all of the "Rice" and "plate" jokes!