New York Yankees News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Aug 11, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Ben Rice (22) puts his arm around New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren (98) as they walk off the field after the top of the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Yankees Catching Situation Takes Unexpected Turn

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 9:00 AM ET

J.C. Escarra's demotion didn't alter Austin Wells' role with the Yankees, despite Aaron Boone not having announced it. Still, it's clear that when Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are both in the lineup, and that designated hitter slot isn't open, the catching duties will go to Ben Rice.

It's a far cry from where Wells was last year. With Jose Trevino's bat nonexistent, Wells inevitably stepped up as the primary catcher in 2024. His offense was a much-needed boost during the team's pennant run. He posted 13 homers in 115 games and had a .718 OPS. His high-water mark on the season was a .795 OPS at the end of August, before a significant cool-down in September.

Wells' offense, unfortunately, hasn't improved since last September. He hit .111/.217/.411 in the final month. In October, his cold spell continued. He hit .120/.200/.260 with two homers and four RBI.

Wells' sophomore season is only a slight improvement from how last season ended. He has hit for power, slugging 15 home runs, but .206/.263/.405 isn't enough.

This is why, when the Yankees decided to go with Ben Rice as catcher on June 18 and then had him start again on the 27th, the seeds were being planted. Now, as we close in on another September, the next young Yankee player stepped up and took the reins behind the plate. Wells has essentially become a backup.

catcher ben rice i love u pic.twitter.com/PvUP9BkJXo
— max fried respecter (@jonmoxIeys) June 18, 2025

Rice has more than earned it. In a breakout season where he has hit .239/.334/.469, the numbers on the back of the baseball card don't tell Rice's full story. He is above the 90th percentile in xw0BA (.410), xBA (.292), xSLG (.571), barrel rate (16.5), and hard hit rate (55.6). With the amount of red on that Baseball Savant page, Rice is a mini Kyle Schwarber when he's at the plate.

Rice becoming the everyday catcher feels like an unexpected turn of events. Hindsight is 20/20, but who could have predicted that when Wells hit a home run in the World Series, he would lose his job as a starter less than a year later? Don't forget, the guy he lost it to, Rice was behind Anthony Rizzo, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jon Berti on the postseason first base depth chart.

Some of the experts who cover prospects didn't think Rice was a major league caliber catcher either. Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs was low on Rice as a backstop. He wrote:

"I was hoping to juice Rice more than this at the onset of the process for this list, but I left my film study of his defense feeling extremely bearish about his ability to stay behind the plate. There is still big time lefty bat speed here, enough to make Rice interesting as a bat-only prospect."

This isn't to say that people like Longenhagen were wrong about Rice's defensive abilities: It's still too early to say he's the future of the position. It's good to see that when Wells' bat went cold, the Yankees had options. On the other hand, when it came to Anthony Volpe, they allowed him to play through those struggles. That was because there wasn't a competent backup there.

If Wells wants that position back, it will have to take a considerable drop off from Rice. At the same time, he will have to show improvement with his bat.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!