TAMPA — Over the course of a long season in the minor leagues, Ben Rice has typically lost weight.
Last season, while getting his first taste of the big leagues during a summer call-up that began on fire and then cooled off, Rice was actually able to maintain it.
“Food’s pretty good [in the big leagues],” Rice said with a chuckle.
Then he spent the offseason purposely gaining more.
Rice showed up to camp this month after putting on about 10 pounds since he was called up last June, most of which appears to be muscle in his upper body as he tried to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame over the winter.
The early returns, he said, have been encouraging.
“I think the ball’s coming off the bat harder, for sure,” Rice said Monday morning at Steinbrenner Field before he was supposed to catch against the Red Sox in a game that got rained out at JetBlue Park. “Putting more mass on the ball, so it’s going to come off harder.”
New York Yankees catcher Ben Rice #93, at bat during live batting practice at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 12, 2025.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The Yankees are hoping that is one of the things that will allow Rice to have some more staying power in the big leagues the next time he gets back, which could be as early as starting the season with them.
Rice is competing for the backup catcher job while also keeping his versatility at first base because the Yankees believe in his bat so much that the more roles he can fill, the better.
And if Giancarlo Stanton’s elbow issues sideline him to start the season, which seems increasingly likely as he has yet to resume baseball activities, then Rice’s chances of making the roster could increase with more at-bats to go around at the DH spot.
“I’m excited about Ben,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday in Fort Myers. “I think he’s going to be a really good hitter in the league. He’s made huge strides in his body this winter. He’s added really good weight and strength and it shows up in his testing. I think he’s a guy [that can] be an impact hitter in the league. He continues to impress us with the work he’s doing behind the plate.
“He could factor in a lot of ways. Certainly in the backup catching role, he could push in there. If G is down to start the season, he could figure into the DH, first base, all that kind of mix. I do think he’ll play a role. Whether it’s to start the season or not with us, I don’t know, but at some point. But I’m excited about what I’ve seen in his continued physical growth.”
Aaron Boone #17, speaking to Ben Rice #93, during a workout at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Rice was listed as playing at 215 pounds last season but is now listed at 228.
He pointed to his work in the gym and eating more, which included a heavy dose of protein and adding more carbs and calories to his diet as well.
So far, it has served him well, especially as he gets back to the physical grind that comes with catching.
He went nearly two and a half months without catching last summer – the longest he has gone without it since his winters playing hockey in high school – when he was called up to make his Yankees debut as a replacement at first base for the injured Anthony Rizzo.
Rice made an immediate impact, batting .294 with a .972 OPS and four home runs – three of them in one game against the Red Sox on July 6 – in his first 17 games before the league adjusted to him.
The lefty hitter batted just .112 with a .443 OPS and three home runs across his next 32 games before he was sent back to Triple-A on Sept. 1.
He hit nine home runs in his final 19 games there but caught only three games, spending the bulk of his time at first base in case the Yankees needed him to come back up.
“This has been the most catching I’ve done in a while, but I love it,” Rice said of his spring training regimen and one Grapefruit League game. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I started catching more. So now that I’m back into it, I’m enjoying myself.”
