Yankees recall Ben Rice to replace Anthony Rizzo at first abse

The Yankees announced this afternoon that they had recalled first baseman Ben Rice from Triple-A and selected reliever Scott Effross. The move comes a day after Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch and broke two fingers.

While the Yankees have not ruled out Rizzo, Rice could be the frontrunner to start at first base against right-handed pitchers in the ALDS. Rice starts at first base and bats eighth in today’s final game of the regular season.

Rice got a lot of points after Rizzo injured his arm in June, and initially Rice acquitted himself well. After a spectacular three-home run game against the Red Sox on July 6, Rice slashed .294/.383/.588, and it appeared the Yankees had found a solution in the cold corner. But Rice himself went cold almost immediately after that game; Rice’s .443 OPS in 31 games since his breakout against Boston left the Yankees eager to re-sign Rizzo once the veteran returns.

After his demotion back to the minors, Rice got hot again. In 19 games with Scranton in September, Rice hit .269/.421/.687, showing great patience at the plate while hitting nine home runs. His performance made him the obvious choice in the event of Rizzo’s injury. Hopefully he can carry that streak into the playoffs.