The New York Yankees are 18-12 to start the year, and Giancarlo Stanton has yet to make his debut. However, when he returns, the Yankees could face some problems.
Rice has been manning the designated hitter role. Paul Goldschmidt has been phenomenal for the Yankees, playing at first base. That leaves DH as the only spot for Rice. He has earned his spot in the lineup, but when Stanton returns, the Yankees will have to find a new spot for Rice.
MLB Network’s Mark DeRosa suggested that the Yankees should try him in the outfield because Stanton is going to be the team’s designated hitter. The Yankees may not have any other options, considering how Goldschmidt is playing.
“Goldschmidt’s not coming out and Ben Rice is not coming out (of the lineup),” DeRosa said on MLB Network.
Goldschmidt has a .363/.411/.460 slash line this season. He has just one home run, but has collected 12 RBIs in 30 games. Rice has a .998 OPS and eight home runs in 26 games. Last season, he had seven home runs in 50 games total. The Yankees cannot afford to pull him out of the lineup.
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Rice has never played in the outfield in his career. He has only appeared at catcher and first base throughout his college, minor league and professional career. However, trying him out at a different position may be a decision the Yankees have to make.
Stanton’s defense is not good enough to justify putting him back in the outfield. However, the Yankees cannot keep his bat out of the lineup either.
Stanton had 27 home runs last season and hit seven home runs in 14 postseason games. He is dealing with elbow injuries and there is no real timeline for his return. However, that does not change the fact that once he is ready to play, he will have a claim to the DH role. This is a good problem to have for the Yankees, however. The fact that Rice is forcing them to keep him in the lineup is a good sign for how the season is going in New York.
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