BALTIMORE — With the Yankees beating up on the Blue Jays in Sport 1 of a doubleheader on April 27, Ben Rice caught for the primary time this season.
Rice began that recreation because the Yankees’ DH, however he took over receiving duties within the ninth inning together with his workforce up 11-1. Whereas Rice is a pure catcher, it was simply his second huge league inning with gear on.
Rice’s different body got here final season in one other blowout towards Toronto.
“Anytime we have a game like this where we can get him in there, I’m going to try and do that,” Aaron Boone mentioned Sunday. He additionally joked that Tanner Swanson is “always on me” about getting Rice behind the plate.
Swanson, the Yankees’ director of catching, is a giant believer in Rice as a backstop, a lot in order that he mentioned the 26-year-old might be a beginning catcher for greater than a handful of groups proper now. Nonetheless, there’s been no room for Rice to play the place, because the Bombers are additionally rostering Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra.
Rice has spent extra time at first base as a giant leaguer, however he’s solely performed 23 innings there this season with the veteran Paul Goldschmidt occupying the place. Nonetheless, Rice has remained an everyday within the Yankees’ lineup, filling the DH function with Giancarlo Stanton slowly recovering from tennis elbows.
The outcomes have been a revelation: Rice entered Wednesday’s collection finale towards the Orioles slashing .278/.387/.611 with a 184 wRC+, eight residence runs and 13 RBI whereas primarily hitting on the high or in the midst of the Yankees’ order.
Whereas Stanton isn’t returning anytime quickly after lacking all of spring coaching, his potential looming presence has left some questioning if Rice will get extra in-game defensive reps.
On Wednesday, Boone mentioned that he’s began to consider how a extra crowded roster — there’s additionally the rehabbing DJ LeMahieu — may influence Rice. Whereas the supervisor doesn’t need to get forward of himself, he did say, “I’ll get him at first a little bit here” earlier than including “he has done a lot of work behind the scenes from a catching standpoint.”
Along with recurrently taking grounders at first, Rice works on catching every single day. Nonetheless, Swanson famous that pregame work and catching off high-speed Trajekt machines are usually not equal to recreation pace, which is why he pushes Boone to get Rice in every time potential.
Boone mentioned that he needed Rice to catch within the Yankees’ slugfest towards the Orioles on Tuesday, however he opted towards it after the slugger was hit by a pitch within the fifth inning.
One factor Boone continues to be not contemplating is utilizing Rice at any unfamiliar positions. In explaining why, the skipper mentioned that Rice already has his arms full together with his catching and first base duties whereas being an on a regular basis participant.
“We want to keep the focus on that,” Boone mentioned.
Chisholm Out, Flanked
As anticipated, Jazz Chisholm Jr. sat out of the Yankees’ lineup on Wednesday after struggling a proper indirect — or, in his most popular phrases, a “flank” — damage in Tuesday’s recreation.
Chisholm mentioned he felt good Wednesday, whereas Boone added the second baseman “seems alright” regardless of coping with some soreness. Chisholm was anticipated to get remedy Wednesday whereas taking the time off from baseball actions.
On Thursday, he’ll get an MRI in New York with the Yankees off. That can decide how the membership proceeds.
“We’ll see if this is going to be truly a couple-day thing,” Boone mentioned. “Or if it turns into a week, which would probably be an IL situation because we want to avoid that longer-term thing. It doesn’t feel like it’s a major thing, but we’re going to know a lot more tomorrow.”
For what it’s value, Chisholm wasn’t involved concerning the IL on Tuesday night time.
“He seems to have a really good feel for his body,” Boone mentioned. “He has actually been, historically, a very heal fast kind of guy. Last year we went through when he hurt the elbow. He was kind of saying the same things, and he was right. So we’ll see how the next couple days are and make a call.”
LeMahieu’s Plan
Boone mentioned the hope is that LeMahieu will resume his rehab task Friday.
The infielder has been working his approach again from a calf pressure, however he obtained a cortisone shot for his hip on Tuesday. Boone described the shot as preemptive, as LeMahieu has been bothered by his hip up to now and “felt a little something maybe coming on.”
