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51 articles
NYY • DH
about 7 hours ago
Rice upped his spring OPS to 1.138 and crushed a 412-foot no doubter off Justin Slaten that left his bat at 108.8 miles per hour. He added a run-scoring double off Max Carlson. Rice’s ADP seems to have dipped a bit with the news that Paul Goldschmidt would be back, but we’ve got no reason to believe that will seriously impact his playing time. He’s still an easy click in the middle rounds.
NYY • DH
9 days ago
Both of Rice’s hits were singles. The second was off a lefty in Gregory Soto, which seems good since his playing time against southpaws is in question right now. However, it was just a slow roller to second that he was able to beat out.
NYY • DH
18 days ago
Rice was shut down from hitting after sleeping on his neck wrong earlier this week. It sounds like a relatively minor physical issue but fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slugger has emerged as one of the more polarizing hitters in the fantasy landscape as he’s gone off the board 54th overall, on average, in NFBC drafts since February 1.
Source: Greg Joyce
NYY • DH
21 days ago
This confirms some speculation last week from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. While the Paul Goldschmidt reunion looked like something tough for Rice after Goldy played against left-handers last year, this is a terrific update for Rice’s fantasy value. He may even be able to maintain catcher eligibility for 2027 if he gets into enough games at the position, giving him some extra keeper league value going forward.
Source: Gary Phillips
NYY • DH
25 days ago
Rice is likely to come off the board as a top-five catcher in fantasy drafts this spring, but he’s rapidly becoming one of the more polarizing hitters in the entire fantasy landscape. He ranked among the league’s upper echelon in average exit velocity (95th percentile), barrel rate (92nd percentile) and hard-hit percentage (97th percentile) during last year’s 26-homer breakthrough campaign. The soon-to-be 27-year-old slugger appears poised to catch more often than originally anticipated with the Yankees bringing back veteran lefty-masher Paul Goldschmidt to handle the cold corner against southpaws. Kirshner notes that Rice, who is currently viewed as the club’s third backstop, could potentially move into the backup catcher role behind starter Austin Wells in addition to serving as their primary first baseman against right-handed pitching to free up a roster spot for someone like Jasson Domínguez. The added playing time opportunity comes paired with the inherent injury risk that has always followed catchers behind the plate.
Source: The Athletic
NYY • DH
3 months ago
No surprise here. This certainly changes if Cody Bellinger re-signs with the Yankees this offseason. Rice walloped 26 round-trippers in just 138 games this past season, splitting time between the cold corner, DH and catcher. The 26-year-old figures to draw the occasional start behind the dish, but those opportunities will likely evaporate if he establishes himself as New York’s long-term answer at first base. He’ll retain catcher eligibility for at least one additional season, which makes him an early-round pick in all fantasy drafts next spring as a top-five range option at the position.
Source: Gary Phillips
NYY • DH
5 months ago
There was speculation that Paul Goldschmidt might get a start against Shane Bieber, perhaps at Rice’s expense, but the Yankees are staying the course with their season on the line.
NYY • DH
5 months ago
Rice made an instant impact in his return to New York’s lineup after being relegated to the bench during the AL Wild Card Series opener. The 26-year-old slugger took Red Sox starter Brayan Bello deep in the opening frame with a no-doubter to right field as part of a multi-hit performance. There’s a chance he’ll be absent from the lineup card for Thursday’s winner-take-all showdown with rookie southpaw Connelly Early likely to take the ball for Boston.
NYY • DH
5 months ago
Rice finds himself on the bench against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet to kick off the series, but he’ll be back in the lineup for the middle contest of the best-of-three series with righty Brayan Bello toeing the rubber. The 26-year-old backstop clobbered 26 regular-season homers and posted a robust .860 OPS against right-handed pitching.
Source: Brayan Hoch
NYY • DH
5 months ago
The Yankees lost the tiebreaker with the Blue Jays also prevailing today, but both can call themselves AL East champs after finishing 94-68. Rice’s homers were his 25th and 26th, as he finishes up at .255/.337/.499 in a season that’s seen him entrench himself as part of the Yankees’ long-term plans. The Bombers will host the Red Sox in a Wild Card series beginning Tuesday.
NYY • DH
5 months ago
Rice’s home run was his 24th of the year. The 26-year-old hit a grand slam off Keegan Akin in the 10th inning. Rice had just one RBI in his last seven games entering play Sunday. He’s hitting .252 with an .823 OPS and 62 RBI this year.
NYY • DH
6 months ago
Rice’s home run was his 23rd of the year. The 26-year-old hit a three-run shot off Max Scherzer in the first inning. Rice’s home run was his seventh in his last 22 games. He’s hitting .243 with an .809 OPS and 54 RBI this year.
NYY • DH
6 months ago
Rice takes a seat with lefty Framber Valdez toeing the rubber for Houston in this one after making five consecutive starts between catcher and first base since last Wednesday. He’ll continue playing regularly between those two spots over the final month.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
6 months ago
Rice’s homer off reliever Shinnosuke Ogasawara was his sixth against a lefty this season. He’d certainly like the chance to see more time against southpaws down the stretch, more likely as a catcher over Austin Wells than over Paul Goldschmidt at first.
NYY • DH
6 months ago
Rice’s homer was a 435-foot blast off Brad Lord, but it wasn’t his hardest-hit ball of the night; he had a 107.3-mph liner turn into a double play in the sixth. Rice has five homers in his last 13 games and 21 on the season.
NYY • DH
7 months ago
Rice got the Yankees on the board and tied the score at one run apiece with a 419-foot (107.6 mph EV) solo shot off of Lucas Giolito in the second inning. He then smacked a one-out triple in the seventh inning when the Yankees were down by a run, but they were unable to cash him in from there. With his two-hit night, the 26-year-old is now slashing .243/.338/.489 with 20 homers, 47 RBI and three stolen bases across 409 plate appearances on the season.
NYY • DH
7 months ago
Rice had a pair of three-run hits; the first being a homer off Sonny Gray with a couple of runners on, the next being a bases-clearing double two innings later. The seven runs driven in are a career high and push his season total to 45 in the 2025 campaign. Outside of a .636 OPS in the month of June, Rice has been a solid contributor in his first full season of MLB action.
NYY • DH
7 months ago
Rice was the only Yankee with two hits in this one and the only member of their lineup to reach base twice against Astros’ starter Hunter Brown. He drove in a run during their sixth inning rally and set the stage for Aaron Judge to tie the game and knock Brown out of it. As things have gotten crowded in New York with Judge healthy and Giancarlo Stanton mashing, Rice has still started against six of the last seven right-handed pitchers they’ve faced while alternating between playing catcher and first base.
NYY • DH
7 months ago
Rice started behind the plate — his 14th appearance overall this season — and connected for a three-run homer against Rays starter Ryan Pepiot in the second inning. The 26-year-old power-hitter is up to 16 big flies this season and has a decent shot at getting close to the lofty 30-homer threshold, if he’s playing nearly everyday down the home stretch.
NYY • DH
7 months ago
Rice takes a seat for Monday’s series opener with veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt getting a chance to face Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen. It’s Cody Bellinger in right field, with Giancarlo Stanton still at DH, for the second straight contest since Aaron Judge hit the injured list with a flexor strain.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice’s first homer in four weeks proved huge, especially given how well Jeff Hoffman had handled the Yankees this season before getting beaten tonight. It’s his 15th homer of the year. He needs to get back to playing more than half of the time to be a real factor in fantasy leagues, but the potential hasn’t gone anywhere.
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice gets the nod over veteran Giancarlo Stanton to face Mets righty Frankie Montas on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. The 26-year-old slugger made his 11th appearance at catcher earlier this week, which gives him eligibility there in some formats, which is a significant boost to his fantasy appeal moving forward.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice now has catcher eligibility in some more leagues, which gives his value a boost in AL-only leagues or mixed leagues that play two catchers. Because his role has been reduced with Giancarlo Stanton back, he probably doesn’t rate as a top-10 catcher for those in one-catcher mixed leagues, but he’s still close and he might be a top-five option if playing time opens back up.
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice will make his third start of the season behind the dish with Marcus Stroman making his return from the injured list. The 26-year-old backstop has started twice in the last three games behind the plate with primary caddy J.C. Escarra away from the club during this series on paternity leave. Based on his current trajectory, it seems like there’s a decent shot Rice will retain catcher-eligibility in most fantasy formats heading into next season.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice will get his second start behind the plate against Mitch Spence and the Athletics. Austin Wells will grab a seat on the bench to begin Friday’s contest. Rice will need to get a few more starts behind the plate to gain catcher eligibility in most leagues, but it’s moving in the right direction.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
8 months ago
Rice has moved into a more versatile multi-position role since Giancarlo Stanton — who is on the bench to open Tuesday’s game — returned from the injured list earlier this month. The 26-year-old has spent time at DH, first base and catcher of late. He’ll continue to rotate between several spots while providing his usual blend of home runs and strikeouts.
Source: MLB.com
NYY • DH
9 months ago
Rice got the start at first base and hit leadoff on Saturday. He took Zach Eflin deep for a solo homer in the second inning, then tripled to drive in a run in the fifth. The 26-year-old slugger is slashing .232/.315/.477 with 13 homers 34 runs scored, and 28 RBI across 249 plate appearances.
NYY • DH
9 months ago
Rice started his first game as a catcher on Wednesday night, so the Yankees likely want to give him a day off to rest his legs with a day game on tap. However, after a hot start to the season, Rice has hit just .198/.263/.355 in 37 games since May 1. He’s not striking out a lot and has an 11.3 percent barrel rate over that span, but with Giancarlo Stanton back, Rice is going to need the results to start appearing if he wants to hold onto his playing time.
NYY • DH
9 months ago
Rice will make his first as a catcher in the majors. Assuming this doesn’t become a disaster, there’s a good chance the 26-year-old will get a few more starts behind the plate, and it not only helps his fantasy stock for 2025, but would be a big booster for the 2026 prospectus as well. Austin Wells is getting Wednesday off with Rice behind the plate.
Source: New York Yankees
NYY • DH
9 months ago
New York will need to get creative with veteran Giancarlo Stanton on the precipice of returning to the DH role in the near future if they’re going to keep Rice’s bat in the lineup. There aren’t a ton of avenues to consistent playing time, but the occasional start behind the dish is one of them. It’s also a fascinating wrinkle for fantasy purposes since he would pick up catcher-eligibility in some formats. The 26-year-old slugger hasn’t started a game behind the dish this season and Austin Wells remains firmly entrenched as the club’s starting backstop.
Source: Jack Curry