Yankees fans are utterly shocked by choice for Anthony Rizzo replacement
By Lior Lampert
The New York Yankees removed Anthony Rizzo after colliding with Boston Red Sox reliever Brennan Bernardino on Sunday. Since then, the veteran slugger has been diagnosed with a right forearm fracture and "could miss" four-to-six weeks.
So, the Yankees placed Rizzo on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 17. New York is calling up catcher/first baseman Ben Rice in a shocking corresponding move, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Rice is New York's No. 12-ranked prospect and has minimal exposure beyond Double-A -- so this decision will undoubtedly turn heads.
Yankees fans are utterly shocked by Ben Rice getting called up to replace Anthony Rizzo
While members of the Yankees faithful may be surprised by the decision, Rice has been a productive hitter in the minors, albeit against lesser competition. He is batting .275/.393/.532 with 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and nine stolen bases across 268 minor league plate appearances in 2024.
Despite only having 11 games of Triple-A experience, Rice has flashed upside. He has a .333/.440/.619 slash line with three homers, 10 RBIs and a steal playing for the RailRiders at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Yes, the numbers suggest promoting Rice could pay dividends, and the club needs someone to step into the cold corner. Nonetheless, choosing the 25-year-old of all options is stunning, especially considering they could've moved DJ LeMahieu to first base full time and shifted accordingly.
LeMahieu, a four-time Gold Glove winner, spent 56 games as New York's first sacker in 2023. Moreover, he has done so in 80 percent of his outings this season. He is still expected to see first base appearances against lefties.
Ben Rice #Yankees is expected to get most starts at 1B vs RHP with DJ LeMahieu moving to 1B vs most LHP. Mgr Aaron Boone will miss tonight's game to attend his sons graduation and Brad Ausmus will be interim MGR meaning a Dartmouth grad will be managing a Dartmouth rookie MLB…
— Jim Bowden⚾️🏈 (@JimBowdenGM) June 18, 2024
The Yankees selecting Rice as the replacement to replace Rizzo may be a vote of confidence in the youngster. Conversely, it could suggest the team is skeptical of Oswaldo Cabrera despite him already being on the active major league roster. Regardless, the situation bears watching in the coming days/weeks.
Before getting hurt, Rizzo was hitting .223/.289/.341 with eight homers and 28 RBIs. Additionally, he has flashed the leather defensively, making up for his inconsistent batting numbers by being an excellent fielder.
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