What Ben Rice's Call-Up Could Mean for Yankees at Trade Deadline

The Yankees called up one of their top prospects to solidify first base. Will they still address the position at the deadline?

Designated hitter Ben Rice jogs to first base after being walked during the August 25, 2023 game against the Bowie Baysox at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J. / Sal DiMaggio / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New York Yankees are taking a chance on one of their prospects.

On Tuesday morning, the team announced the call-up of catcher/first baseman Ben Rice, who will fill in for the injured Anthony Rizzo at the latter position. According to Jim Bowden of CBS Sports, Rice will be part of a first base platoon; he will start against right-handed pitchers, while DJ LeMahieu will play first against left-handers. This is a rather odd decision, as LeMahieu is only hitting .167 against lefties, compared to a .293 average for Rice; the Yankees are likely basing this off Rice's 2023 season, when he hit .217 against southpaws and .354 against righties.

Ben Rice #Yankees is expected to get most starts at 1B vs RHP with DJ LeMahieu moving to 1B vs most LHP. Mgr Aaron Boone will miss tonight's game to attend his sons graduation and Brad Ausmus will be interim MGR meaning a Dartmouth grad will be managing a Dartmouth rookie MLB…

— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) June 18, 2024

Rice's statistics have been extremely impressive across both Double-A and Triple-A. This season, he's hit .275/.393/.532 with 15 home runs, including a dominant 11 games in Triple-A (.333/.440/.619, 172 wRC+) to get the call to the big leagues.

Regardless of his success, this is not only a sink-or-swim scenario for Rice: the 25-year-old's play may determine the Bronx Bombers' direction at the trade deadline.

New York has been linked to numerous first basemen such as Paul Goldschmidt, Christian Walker, and Josh Bell; Pete Alonso may also be an option, but is a long-shot due to the Yankees' cross-town rivalry with the Mets. Walker is hitting .257/.337/.483 with 16 home runs while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense, Goldschmidt is only hitting .230 but is just two years removed from an NL MVP season, and Bell is a switch-hitting slugger who is almost guaranteed to be part of the Marlins' fire sale.

All of those first basemen are scheduled to be free agents after the season, so they could merely end up as rentals. But if Rice struggles at the big-league level, the Yankees may be more inclined to pursue these trade targets.

On the other hand, if Rice continues his fantastic play, New York will focus on fortifying the bullpen instead of the infield, which is already their preferred course of action at the deadline.

Rice already checks a lot of boxes for the Bronx Bombers; he's a left-handed hitter who can take advantage of the Short Porch in right field, his swing-and-miss tendencies are ameliorated by excellent plate discipline, and his positional versatility may allow him to play catcher just in case anything happens to Jose Trevino or Austin Wells. Notably, Rice caught Gerrit Cole during his first rehab assignment, with the Yankees' ace delivering high praise to the budding prospect.

The young infielder will likely make his major league debut on Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, who are starting right-hander Albert Suarez. It will be a true test for Rice, as the Orioles are one of the best teams in the league, but considering how he's passed his other tests with flying colors, Yankee fans should be confident and excited for the infielder's first taste of the big leagues.