With the Yankees‘ regular season finale scheduled for 3:05 p.m. start on Sunday, Ben Rice was already working up a sweat in the batting cage shortly after noon.
The 25-year-old joined the Yankees for Game 162 after a pitch left fellow first baseman Anthony Rizzo with two fractured fingers in Saturday’s loss to the Pirates. Instead of placing Rizzo on the injured list, the Yankees optioned Scott Effross to make room for Rice.
By keeping Rizzo off the IL, he remains an option for the ALDS. On Saturday, Boone said the Yankees would see how the veteran responds over the next few days, as they consider his injury a “pain tolerance thing.”
“I think he actually feels pretty good considering,” Boone added Sunday. “So he’s not really [gripping a bat or wearing a glove] right now. It’s just treatment now for the next several days before he starts doing that.”
With the Yankees waiting to see what Rizzo can do, Sunday was not Rice’s first time filling in for him this year.
The rookie, a natural catcher still new to first, made his major league debut in mid-June after Rizzo fractured his arm. Rice went on to make a strong early impression — he hit three homers on July 6 — before quickly cooling off.
Rice slashed .174/.269/.356 with seven homers and 23 RBI over 49 big league games. The Yankees then demoted him when Rizzo returned from his arm injury at the start of September.
Now Boone is hoping that thrown-in-the-fire experience will help Rice should the Yankees need him in the playoffs.
“He came up this year and was thrust into it as a rookie having not a lot of playing experience at that time at first base,” Boone said. “He’s obviously gained a lot of experience at first base this year, and I feel like he handled that all really well. I feel like he handled himself defensively, maybe even better than I anticipated. That can’t be easy when you’re a young player and all of a sudden you get called up to the big leagues for the first time, and now you’re thrust into an important position that you don’t have a ton of experience at.
“I feel like he handled that very well on the fly, and hopefully that serves him well for a potential role now in the playoffs.”
Boone added that the Yankees’ front office has been excited about Rice’s performance since his demotion. He homered nine times in 17 September games at Triple-A, and he totaled 31 dingers across three levels before Sunday’s promotion.
Like Rizzo, Rice hits from the left side.
“He could be playing a big role for us,” Boone said. “He’s had stretches even with us this year where obviously it’s been really good. He’s had some struggles, but overall, it’s been an outstanding year for Ben Rice.”
Boone also reiterated that he’s “very comfortable” with Oswaldo Cabrera playing first despite limited reps there.
Asked about additional first base alternatives, Boone noted that center fielder Trent Grisham has been working out there. However, it’s no guarantee that he will have a spot on the Yanks’ ALDS roster after riding the bench for most of September.
Boone also said that he talked to Jon Berti about getting reps at first. The utilityman has never played there in the majors, but Boone said he had in spring training a few years back.
Given his versatility and speed, Berti has a clearer path to the ALDS roster than Grisham.
There’s also DJ LeMahieu, who ended the worst regular season of his career with a hip injury. He’s been feeling better following a cortisone shot and planned on starting baseball activities before the ALDS begins next Saturday. LeMahieu wants to make himself an option, but it’s unclear if the Yankees would take him up on that following his poor play this season.
“We’ll see,” Boone said when asked if LeMahieu is in consideration. “I don’t want to rule it out, but I don’t want to necessarily expect it either.”
