When Will Warren delivered the first pitch of a June 27 home matchup against the Athletics, it was not Austin Wells on the receiving end. Nor was it the Yankees’ usual reserve catcher, J.C. Escarra. On this day, it was Ben Rice occupying the No. 2 position.
It was not the first time that Rice had donned the catcher’s mask and chest protector in the big leagues, and it wouldn’t be the last, either. The 12th-round pick out of Dartmouth in 2021 has become something of a Swiss Army knife for the Yankees. Not a utility player, mind you, but still valuably versatile, the 26-year-old has made contributions no matter where he has been asked to play.
Add to that an early power surge from the DH position and the fact that Rice is continuing a process of learning first base that started in his rookie season, and 2025 has been a year of growth for the left-handed hitter from Cohasset, Mass. But no matter what role Rice is asked to handle when he punches in for the day’s work, his mentality has stayed the same throughout.
“You’ve got to keep going every day,” Rice says. “Every day you get better. That’s all it is.”
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Change is constant in the game of baseball. For Rice, change was a prominent theme this spring. With slugging designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton set to miss the start of the season due to right and left elbow epicondylitis, one of the first players the Yankees turned to was Rice, who took on the DH role in the season opener against Milwaukee.
Rice says the goal was never to fill the shoes of the Major Leagues’ active home run leader but to be himself and help the team however he could.
“Just take it one day at a time,” Rice says. “You don’t have to go out there and be something you’re not. Just go out there and prepare for each day and do the best you can to help the team win.”
It’s safe to say the approach worked. Through the end of April, Rice batted .266 with eight home runs and 13 RBIs while making 22 appearances as the Yankees’ DH. The highlight of that early season stretch was a two-home run performance in a 15-3 road win against Baltimore on April 29.
Rice’s ability to read pitches and hit for power have made a big impression on his coaches.
“He’s dangerous,” Yankees hitting coach James Rowson says. “Benny’s got power, but he’s also a good hitter. He lays off balls out of the zone. He makes it tough on opposing pitchers to get him out, and when you’ve got a lot of guys in your lineup that can do that, it creates a really good synergy in the lineup. Benny’s a part of creating that synergy for us.”
Rice followed up the early season surge with three homers in May and another three in June, as he went into the All-Star break with 14 homers, tied for fifth on a Yankees team that was leading the Majors with 151 long balls.
After an up-and-down debut 2024 season -- he became the first Yankees rookie to produce a three-home run game, but batted just .171 with a .613 OPS in 50 games -- Rice needed to show improvement. In his second year with the team, Rice was hitting .235 with a .791 OPS at the All-Star break, with 31 of his 62 hits going for extra bases. He also seemingly took over Anthony Rizzo’s role as the team’s fearless leader in getting hit by pitches, with nine -- four more than any other Yankee.
It’s clear there has been progress, but not a whole lot has changed in terms of Rice’s approach at the plate.
“Overall, I still go into each at-bat with a plan, try to get my pitch in the zone and drive it,” Rice says. “I think having more experience from last year under my belt helps a lot.”
Getting reps is vital at the big league level. The more hitters have, the better they tend to get. Rowson says Rice has put in the work to go along with that experience, which has equaled more success at the plate.
“A credit to him, it’s his work,” Rowson says. “Last year when he came in, it was his first year and he was seeing everybody for the first time, but he also got a chance to play here and see what things he should work on. I think he really worked on some things in the offseason, stuck with his plan. That same plan and work that he did in the offseason just kind of transferred and keeps going through the year.”
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When Rice was asked to step in at catcher this season, he did not do so without experience in that role. While his Major League resume comprised just one inning -- he caught Tim Hill in the bottom of the ninth in a 16-5 win at Toronto on June 28, 2024 -- most of his time in the Minors was spent behind the plate.
It’s arguably his best position. Throughout his rise up the Minor League ladder, Rice made 121 appearances at catcher. So, the transition to playing the position this season was informed by that prior experience.
The Yankees and Rice have both done their part to make sure he is ready when called upon. While the skills are there, the focus has been on getting Rice as much live game action and practice as possible.
“We’re trying to really build and manage volume more than any specific skill development,” says Yankees field coordinator and catching coach Tanner Swanson. “I think Ben’s a very skilled, dynamic catcher. I think it’s his natural position and the one he’s probably the most comfortable with in terms of the experience.”
Swanson says Rice has been participating in bullpens and simulating throwing to the bases in practices -- valuable opportunities while Wells and Escarra hold down the majority of in-game action.
“The biggest thing is to just catch as much live pitching as possible,” Rice says. “Because if you’re just catching off the machine, you’re not going to be able to adjust to arms in the game. Taking care of that as much as I can helps me be a little bit more prepared when I get thrown in there.”
Off the field, Rice has been as present as possible in taking on the catching responsibilities, learning all he could since arriving at Spring Training having added 10 pounds of muscle during the winter.
“He’s involved in all the meetings and has been from Day 1,” Swanson says. “He’s been really committed to our advance process and just understanding our pitchers and how they attack hitters. He’s been really diligent on that front, even though the game reps are pretty limited. I feel like he’s super prepared. If asked to go into a game, he’s in a good place.”
Through mid-July, Rice had appeared in 11 games as a catcher, including four starts, and had not been charged with an error or a passed ball in 39 2/3 innings of work at the position. He availed himself well in his first start behind the plate, throwing out Logan O’Hoppe for his first caught stealing in a June 18 road matchup against the Los Angeles Angels. And as he has gotten more opportunities, such as starting again in that 3-0 win against the Athletics on June 27, Rice has reinforced his coaches’ belief in his versatility and what that brings to the team.
“It just gives us more flexibility,” Swanson says. “He gives [Aaron Boone] more flexibility, lineup-wise, to manage some of the challenges we have -- good challenges -- with an abundance of good players. Finding ways to get him into the lineup via behind the plate just strengthens our lineup in general and gives Boonie another avenue to get him in there.”
Another aspect of that versatility, and perhaps an underrated skill, is Rice’s ability to speak Spanish. With a number of Spanish-speaking pitchers on the roster, it has come in handy when they have needed to strategize together.
“It’s tough to understand it sometimes when they’re going too fast,” Rice says with a chuckle. “But I can speak it pretty well. So, being able to have that tool in my belt definitely helps because there are so many different players we have from different countries who may not speak English as well, or even if they do speak English well, you still might be able to get through to them a little easier if you speak their own language. Having that ability as a catcher is important.”
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Just one game after Rice debuted as the Yankees’ starting DH to kick off the season, he put on another hat, refamiliarizing himself with first base. During his rookie year, 49 of Rice’s 50 appearances came at first base, with 41 of them being starts.
While his first start of this season at first would be a little under a week later against Arizona on April 3, Rice also had some Minor League experience at the position, playing 66 games there.
Still, every day is a new learning experience.
“First base, obviously it’s still a relatively new position to me,” Rice says. “Last year, I had big league experience up there, but in terms of my whole career, I’ve been mostly a catcher. So, I’m still making adjustments over there, working on it every day. It’s the same thing: You’ve just got to keep seeing balls off the bat, get out there and get as much experience as you can.”
The work he has put in has not gone unnoticed, as Rice has done everything asked of him when it comes to playing first base.
“I got to see him last year when he was up here; different circumstances as we were asking him to learn a new position,” Swanson says. “In that case, he was primarily working out at first base, but to see the confidence grow from last year to this year, I think he’s coming into his own and believes that he belongs at this level. He has the ability to have success at this level.
“I think the longer he’s around, the more he has realized that he belongs, which I think is important. That confidence is important in this game given how much you fail. But I think he truly, at his core, puts in the work.”
No matter when he is called on or where he is asked to play, Rice remains ready. In his second season, he has continued to make strides in games while practicing at multiple positions. There is now a sense of familiarity that has helped Rice thrive in 2025 and should propel him going forward.
“I’m just more comfortable,” Rice says. “More comfortable, confidence-wise, being around for two big league Spring Trainings. I’ve got the experience from last year, so I think being a little more comfortable, a little more confident in the environment helps.”
Each day, Rice is gaining more experience and working hard. He says his primary goal is to achieve the one thing that is always at the top of every Yankees’ to-do list.
“Win a World Series.”
Robert Hudson is a publications assistant with Yankees Magazine. This story appears in the August 2025 edition. Get more articles like this delivered to your doorstep by purchasing a subscription to Yankees Magazine at www.yankees.com/publications.