Longtime analyst John Flaherty predicts Ben Rice's long-term home with Yankees

Ben Rice started the season a near-complete unknown for the New York Yankees, and ended it as a utility Silver Slugger finalist (and he would've won, too, if the voting body could've comfortably redefined "utility" on the fly). Odds are it'll be his final nomination in that particular role moving forward.

That's not to say Rice will regress from his 26-homer, 131 OPS+, playoff-igniter of a season (which would've ended against Boston in two had he not thundered one early against Brayan Bello). It's just to note that he's not likely to get the requisite 20+ games at catcher necessary for the categorization moving forward.

On Wednesday at the GM Meetings (virtually), Yankees head honcho Brian Cashman declared he believed Rice would have an "everyday role" for the team in 2026 (and hopefully beyond).

Presumably, that means a platoon first base option isn't atop the shopping list; Rice will either sink or swim against lefties. While he may continue to keep catching in the pocket with an eye towards maintaining versatility, he appears to have shown enough to hold onto one primary job next season.

And, as former YES Network analyst/former catcher John Flaherty told Yanks Go Yard on Tuesday night at ALS United Greater New York's Lou Gehrig Legacy Gala, "You know the bat's gonna play."

Ben Rice will be an everyday player with 2026 Yankees - and almost definitely a first baseman

Flaherty, who watched Rice closely last season in what amounted to his first full developmental big-league campaign, was bullish on him anywhere, but does believe any catching he does moving forward will be out of necessity rather than prioritized.

"I think it's gonna be more of a need-based answer, to tell you the truth," Flaherty told us. "If first base is open, I think he's gonna be able to take that and run with it and be a power-hitting, left-handed first baseman. If there's an opportunity behind the plate, maybe to be a platoon player with Austin Wells, that could be an opportunity"

"It's just about figuring out the position defensively where he's able to help the Yankees the most, because the bat is pretty special," he concluded, with the most important flourish.

In 2025, Rice was only allowed to take 119 plate appearances against left-handed pitching, and hit .208 with a still-solid .752 OPS (.860 against righties) and seven homers against them. That's not the type of stay-away disparity you'll see from certain hitters who simply can't solve southpaws (though his at-bats against Connelly Early in October would definitely argue otherwise).

Still, the Yankees saw enough to either entrust Rice with an everyday first base role next season, or to talk him up, Caleb Durbin-style, ahead of a sell-high Winter Meetings trade. The bat will play. It's incumbent upon the Yankees to decide if it'll play for them long-term.