The real reason Ben Rice is not catching for Yankees

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May 27, 2026 - 16:14

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The real reason Ben Rice is not catching for Yankees originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Ben Rice is one of the best hitters in the Majors this season, and the New York Yankees are reaping the benefits.

Rice's Baseball Savant page is a sea of red, indicating he ranks at or near the very top of most offensive categories.

A catcher in college at Dartmouth and in the minors, Rice has not appeared at the position in 2026. So far, the left-handed hitter's duties have been strictly at first base and DH.

There's a simple reason for that.

"Rice has been so good that the Yankees haven’t let him catch, partially out of fear that he’d be at increased injury risk," The Athletic's Brendan Kuty wrote. "He’s been too valuable to mess around with."

Paul Goldschmidt is hitting exceptionally well, but the Yankees cannot afford to lose Rice for an extended period of time.

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Rice's .993 OPS ranks second in the Majors behind Yordan Alvarez (1.045 OPS) of the Houston Astros. His 16 home runs are five behind MLB's leader, Kyle Schwarber, with 21.

And although neither Austin Wells nor JC Escarra provides much on offense at catcher, both are above-average defenders.

You'd have to imagine Rice would be quite rusty.