Ben Rice may foreshadow Austin Wells' fate with Yankees as Aaron Judge concern looms

For the New York Yankees' first two games against the Minnesota Twins this week, Aaron Boone rolled with the hot hands. He kept Giancarlo Stanton in the field and benched Jasson Dominguez. He went with Ben Rice behind the plate over Austin Wells.

The results? Two wins. We won't start tooting the official horn until the Yankees play an opponent who didn't incinerate their roster at the trade deadline, but there's something to be said about this team showing more life. And even if that weren't the case, there was an argument to be made about Wells losing playing time because of how ineffective he's been (whether that was due to a lingering injury or just downright poor play).

On Wednesday night, Boone kept Rice in the lineup, but put him at first base. Wells returned behind the dish and got the start. But is Rice's prominence over the last week or so foreshadowing Wells' fate with the Bombers for 2026?

And what is that fate? Is it as a backup/part-time catcher (assuming Rice logs reps behind the dish and plays first base)? Is it as a trade candidate to help improve other areas of the roster? The Yankees aren't known to sell low on young talent, but there's no doubt teams would value his potential and club control.

But what about a bit further down the road when ... Aaron Judge might have to move to first base? The slugging outfielder is dealing with a flexor strain and has not been cleared to play the outfield just yet, but some have speculated on a possible shift to the infield in order to preserve his long-term health.

Is Ben Rice a first baseman? Catcher? DH? And where does Aaron Judge go? Another Yankees problem looms...

It's not happening now, but it could begin in 2026 and then start to take a more regular effect in 2027. If that's the case, then Rice may not be able to be utilized as flexibly at first in order to get into the lineup as much as possible.

If you look at Rice's splits, he's technically "better" as a DH, but everybody knows that isn't sustainable with Giancarlo Stanton in the fold and Judge eventually going to require more reps there as he ages. And if you side-by-side him with Wells this year, Rice dwarfs his production.

• Wells - .208/.267/.412 with 37 runs scored, 15 home runs, 56 RBI and an 85 OPS+ (93 games)
• Rice - .232/.327/.459 with 50 runs scored, 17 homers, 38 RBI and a 115 OPS+ (100 games)

The defense has essentially been a wash, and the fact Wells has subtracted -0.2 bWAR from the Yankees this year despite hitting 15 homers is a glaring problem. His third-place finish in the 2024 Rookie of the Year voting still feels very real, but this type of a backslide has the beginnings of a detrimental spiral.

This all might be knee-jerky, especially considering Rice's 2024 featured 50 games of a -0.4 bWAR contribution, accompanied by a concerning .171/.264/.349 line in 178 plate appearances. The script could very well flip next season, but for whatever reason it feels a lot different that Rice's struggles came in his first taste of MLB action after an unthinkable ascension through the minor leagues while Wells' Volpe-like backslide has emerged as he's gotten the most consistent playing time of his career.

All we're saying? This is a development worth monitoring, because if Boone is willing to make a notable change like this on a dime, then you know something might be up.