Yankees to Call-Up Top Prospect in Aggressive Move Amid Anthony Rizzo Injury

The New York Yankees are calling up one of their top prospects to replace Anthony Rizzo in a surprising move.

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. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees aren't messing around.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo was diagnosed with an arm fracture on Monday after undergoing tests in New York, which will force him to be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks, per The Athletic.

Instead of sliding DJ LeMahieu over to first base and inserting super utility man Oswaldo Cabrera at third base in the interim, GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees are making the aggressive move by calling up impressive catcher/first base prospect Ben Rice to replace Rizzo, as The New York Post's MLB insider Joel Sherman reported on Tuesday morning.

Rice has been on a tear at the plate this year between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton, slashing .275/.393/.532 with a .925 OPS, 15 home runs and 36 RBIs in 60 games. Although he only tallied 11 games in Triple-A since being promoted from Somerset, the 25-year-old hit .333/.440/.619 with a 1.059 OPS, three homers and 10 RBIs in this brief stint with the RailRiders.

The Yankees clearly want to see what they have in the left-handed hitting catcher/first baseman. Should Rice's success translate to the big-league level, Cashman will be able to focus on improving the Yankees' roster in other areas such as the bullpen, which is already the plan ahead of the trade deadline that is coming up on July 30.

Rice isn't a natural first baseman, but he has likely shown enough at the position for the Yankees to give him a shot there in the big-leagues with Rizzo being down for a while. At this point, Rice's production was hard to ignore, and it has earned him a call-up to make his major league debut in a pivotal AL East showdown this week against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees' lineup is already stacked, and if Rice can fit in and contribute, he could wind up claiming the first base job before Rizzo returns.

Should Rice struggle, the Yankees would then be more inclined to explore a trade for a first baseman at the deadline with Paul Goldschmidt, Christian Walker and Josh Bell being possibilities.