With Anthony Rizzo On IL, Yankees Reveal His Replacement

With Anthony Rizzo On IL, Yankees Reveal His Replacement

Anthony Rizzo is going to miss some considerable time for the Yankees. He made it on the IL after an ugly collision at first base on Sunday night at Fenway. The veteran infielder is not having a great season in New York so it’s possible that missing some time is the best option for all parties involved. With a major three game series against the Orioles starting tonight, they need reinforcements. Rather than going external, Brian Cashman is giving a farmhand a well deserved promotion. Amid a great season in the minor leagues, #12 prospect named Ben Rice is getting the call up, per Joel Sherman:

The Yankees are calling up Ben Rice to replace Anthony Rizzo. Between AA and AAA he had a .275.393.532 slash line with 15 homers.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) June 18, 2024

It’s very possible that he gets the start tonight against Baltimore. Rice is a 2021 twelfth-round pick out of Dartmouth. At 25, he’s got a lot of seasoning in the minors so if he didn’t break through it’s likely he would become a trade candidate. He also has experience as both a first baseman and catcher. It’s very possible he sees time at both positions given the Red Sox exposing Jose Trevino on primetime. He has a clear inability to get baserunners stealing second base out.

Across 769 plate appearances at all levels of MiLB, Rice has a .920 OPS. This Yankees lineup needs a jolt and it’s very possible that the Cohasset, MA native provides a spark. Obviously, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are the best duo in baseball right now. But they have next to no additional support from everyone else. When the games matter in October, it is very possible that teams could find a way to expose this lineup and ultimately stifle their World Series aspirations.

Take The 2024 Bull By The Horns

This team is not worried about the future. Right now, the New York Yankees have arguably their best shot at a World Series since their last championship in 2009. However, there are still holes in this roster. Some more bullpen arms are definitely needed. Many fans have clamored that the team needs infield help given how dominant their outfielders have been at the place. While the trade deadline is weeks away, bringing Rice into the picture is a good first step toward what the team could look like in the coming months. Gerrit Cole‘s return is also tomorrow, so a big piece to the puzzle is coming into the fold.

Cashman knows that he is in for a major Winter offseason. The hope is that they can enter it as champions and just go from there. Soto is going to sign a historic contract after the season and it’s not a guarantee that it will be in the Bronx. There are a bunch of pending free agents on this team so it’s hard not to think about what 2025 will bring. That is why staying in the moment and working towards having as good a season now as possible is critical.

Bryse Wilson: Orioles ‘messed up’ trading Joey Ortiz in Corbin Burnes deal

The New York Yankees are taking an unusual approach to addressing injuries. They are letting prospect Ben Rice take the mantle from the injured Anthony Rizzo at first base.

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