Yankees Option Two Promising Players to Triple-A Ahead of September Roster Expansion

The Yankees made a surprising decision regarding two of their top prospects.

Jul 10, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (93) breaks his bat on a ground ball against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

On the eve of September’s roster expansion, the New York Yankees made a pair of roster moves.

Following a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, the Yankees optioned both first baseman Ben Rice and starting pitcher Will Warren to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre; both prospects had struggled lately, while the Bronx Bombers are expecting multiple players back from injury to replace them.

Following today’s game, the Yankees optioned C/INF Ben Rice and RHP Will Warren to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 31, 2024

In his five major league starts, Warren has gone winless with a 9.55 ERA and 1.85 WHIP. Although the righty struck out 26 batters in his 21.2 innings of action, he also has an opposing batting average of .337 while allowing 24 runs and 31 hits, the most ever by a Yankee pitcher in their first five games. With rookie phenom Luis Gil scheduled for a rehab start with Double-A Somerset on Sunday and seemingly on his way to returning, it was only a matter of time before the 25-year-old Warren was optioned. 

After exploding onto the scene back in June, Rice has stumbled at the plate with just three hits in his last 39 at-bats. In 49 games, the first baseman/catcher slashed .174/.269/.356 with seven home runs, 23 RBI, and a 75 wRC+. Of course, Yankee fans will remember that three of those homers came in the same game on July 6 against Boston; nonetheless, Rice was rarely used against left-handed pitching and had just five hits in 43 plate appearances against southpaws.

In a corresponding move, manager Aaron Boone told media that first baseman Anthony Rizzo was likely to be re-joining the club on Sunday. Rizzo has been out of action since June 16 with a fractured right forearm, but recently completed a rehab stint with Somerset. 

With rosters set to expand on Sunday, speculation is heating up that outfielder Jasson Dominguez will be joining Rizzo as a September call-up. "The Martian" had another big day at the plate on Saturday with a pair of hits, including a mammoth 405-ft home run. The Yankees could also activate starting pitchers Clarke Schmidt and the aforementioned Luis Gil to bolster their rotation for the stretch run.

New York went 14-12 in August and is narrowly hanging on to the best record in the American League. The Bronx Bombers will finish their three-game set with the Cardinals on Sunday before heading on the road for back-to-back series against the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs.