Catcher? First base? DH? Rice ready to go wherever Yanks need him

TAMPA, Fla. -- Ben Rice was drafted as a catcher, made it to the big leagues as a first baseman and might see time this season as a designated hitter. Ask him which role he prefers, and the answer is simple: whatever gets his name into the lineup.

That can-do versatility promises to create opportunities this season for Rice, who belted a two-run homer in the Yankees¡¯ 6-5 walk-off Grapefruit League victory over the Phillies on Friday evening at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

¡°I¡¯m just continuing to swing at the right pitches, have good at-bats and trying to hit the ball hard,¡± Rice said.

Rice certainly did in the first inning on Friday, launching a Taijuan Walker cutter for a 111.6 mph rocket that cleared the wall in right-center field. Rice said he added about 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason, and to manager Aaron Boone, the changes have been noticeable.

¡°Last spring was my first time getting eyes on him, and I was really impressed,¡± Boone said. ¡°I felt like, ¡®Man, this guy can hit.¡¯ He¡¯s definitely more physically impressive, and that¡¯s a credit to the work he¡¯s put in. He came in a notch more physically developed, and it shows.¡±

The added bulk has the Yanks envisioning additional power from Rice, who hit seven homers with 23 RBIs in 152 at-bats last season, including a memorable performance against the Red Sox on July 6 -- the first three-homer game by a Yankees rookie.

Rice¡¯s hot start cooled, as he finished the season batting .171. But the organization remains high on his power, plate discipline and makeup; even this spring, Boone suggested Rice has not been rewarded for some of his hard contact.

¡°I know I can produce at an elite level,¡± Rice said. ¡°I know I can do some really cool things.¡±

With less than two weeks before the Yankees head north, Rice remains in competition with catchers J.C. Escarra (who also homered Friday) and Alex Jackson to serve as Austin Wells¡¯ backup. Rice said his focus coming into camp was to ¡°show that I can be a reliable catcher.¡±

¡°That was the biggest thing, because I knew I was going to be getting more looks over there,¡± Rice said. ¡°Number one was just going to be the ability to manage a big league pitching staff, to confidently prepare for games and work with our pitchers. From a catching standpoint, receiving has always been my strength, so [a focus was] to just continue improving on my blocking and throwing.¡±

He also is in the running for at-bats spelling Paul Goldschmidt at first base, a position where Rice started 41 times last summer with Anthony Rizzo injured. Non-roster invitee Dom Smith has the experience edge at first base; Smith is also tied with Goldschmidt for the spring team lead with 10 RBIs. Rice acknowledges he was ¡°definitely inexperienced¡± at the position.

¡°It¡¯s funny, I never really worked on first base until I got to the big leagues,¡± he said. ¡°In the Minors, it was more just game reps to get in the lineup another couple of times a week. I learned that I¡¯m an athlete; that I can go over there and do my job. There was still definitely a little bit of a learning curve and some things that needed to be cleaned up, but it gave me confidence that I can be thrown into unfamiliar situations and still be able to adapt.¡±

And the opportunity that projects to give Rice the most turns in the lineup right now is at designated hitter, since Giancarlo Stanton is set to begin the season on the injured list and is not close to resuming baseball activities. Rice said if the Yankees decide he¡¯s the best choice for the job, he¡¯ll be ready.

¡°It¡¯s not up to me, right?¡± Rice said. ¡°It¡¯s up to Boone and [general manager Brian Cashman]. But I¡¯ll just keep taking it day by day.¡±