Yankees-Nationals Luis García Jr. trade just fueled unnecessary Ben Rice rumors

After Saturday's massive Tarik Skubal letdown, the Yankees managed to salvage some of that PR by swinging a trade for the National League leader in slugging percentage, Luis García Jr. on Sunday. The 26-year-old has been one of the most productive players in the league this year and is from New York. It's a good fit for the current state of the offense.

But it's a bit of an awkward fit because of the Yankees' infield situation. García was a full-time second baseman with the Washington Nationals until this year, as he's played first base for 93 out of his 102 games. The other nine were at DH. The issue? The Yankees already have two first basemen.

Ben Rice is the starter and Paul Goldschmidt is the platoon option against left-handed starters. So how will Aaron Boone navigate this?

Yankees Twitter was thrown for a loop when Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported the Yanks were going to platoon García Jr. and Goldy at first base while shifting Rice back to catcher (and DH). There's absolutely no way that was their plan, right?

What are the Yankees going to do with Ben Rice after the Luis García Jr. trade?

Rice logging emergency reps at catcher feels like the only appropriate usage of him behind the plate. He's now an MVP candidate and needs to learn first base on a full-time basis to continue his ascension. He needs to be playing both sides of the ball regularly.

A more trusted Yankees voice in Jack Curry of the YES Network put the Rice-to-catcher chatter to a stop, though (thankfully). He emphatically said "Rice is not suddenly, in August, going to become a catcher." Curry alluded to the reality that García Jr. is likely to get consistent reps (whether it's at DH or he and Rice swap back and forth) while Goldschmidt fades into the background as a pinch-hitting option and someone who gets a full game of action when Rice/García needs a breather with a lefty pitching.

García Jr. will be finding his way into the lineup on a nightly basis and it will not come at the expense of Rice in any capacity. That's the most important takeaway here. García's offense is badly needed as the Yankees continue to barely get runs across the plate without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton.

Now, as for a catching upgade, the Yankees better find a solution there before 6 p.m. ET on Monday because the current duo of Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez isn't going to cut it.

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