Hot Yankees Prospect On Home Run Binge at Triple-A

Ben Rice continues to make a case that his opportunity for a call-up to the New York Yankees is growing closer.

Mar 23, 2024; Lakeland, Florida, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice (93) bats during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

What any Major League team hopes for when they promote a minor league player from one class to another is that they carry over the success from their last team.

Ben Rice has done exactly that for the New York Yankees.

New York promoted Rice from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday.

With Somerset he showed off the power that has intrigued Yankees scouts since 2021. He slashed .261/.382/.511/.893 with 12 home runs and 26 RBI.

So, Rice joined the RailRiders on Wednesday, started and homered against Norfolk. On Thursday he started and homered.

So guess what he did on Friday? Yep, same thing. He hit a home run in his third straight game since he was promoted.

BEN RICE IS SPECIAL! 🌟

The No. 12 @Yankees prospect launches his third homer in as many games at 106.9 mph off the bat. pic.twitter.com/2cfvfOVo2s

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) June 8, 2024

Rice is the Yankees’ No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline. What’s notable is that he’s listed as a catcher and a first baseman. He played catcher in two of those three games and first base in the other.

His future may be at first base.

The Yankees have two solid catchers in Jose Trevino and Austin Wells, the latter of which was a Top 30 prospect last season.

New York has a need for a future first baseman. Anthony Rizzo is under contract with the Yankees, but he’s in the second year of a two-year, $40 million deal features a club option next season. New York could buy Rizzo out for $6 million.

Rizzo’s bat remains in decline. The 34-year-old was slashing .228/.289/.344/.633 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in his first 63 games. He has batted better than .250 since 2019 with the Chicago Cubs.

The Yankees are consolidating resources in an attempt to re-sign Juan Soto as a free agent after this season. The belief is that the star outfielder will command at least $500 million in a long-term contract, and New York boss Hal Steinbrenner has acknowledged the team isn’t likely to spend at current levels.

The Yankees could opt to pay Rizzo off and promote Rice next season, if he’s ready. Rice is also worth watching if Rizzo suffers an injury, as he did a year ago. Long-term effects of a concussion limited him to 99 games last season.

Rice, now 25, was selected by New York in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Dartmouth. He made steady progress through the minors but made his breakthrough last season with three different affiliates as he slashed .324/.434/.615/1.049 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI in 73 games. He missed the first half of the season due to injuries.