Only two Yankees finished the season with a higher slugging percentage than Ben Rice: Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
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Try it freeYet the lefty-swinging Rice is expected to be on the bench to start Game 1 of the Yankees wild-card series against the Red Sox on Tuesday, with Boston throwing left-hander Garrett Crochet.
Such are the decisions Aaron Boone and the rest of the organization’s brain trust contemplated Monday, the eve of the best-of-three series.
Instead of the lefty Rice at first base or behind the plate, Boone said fellow left-handed swinger Austin Wells would catch Max Fried, with the right-handed Paul Goldschmidt at first — despite Goldschmidt being just 2-for-15 with five strikeouts when facing Crochet.
Boone didn’t reveal much else about Tuesday’s lineup, but noted Wells has worked well with Fried and has hit better of late.
“I think Wells is really good back there [at catcher] and he’s been really good with Fried,” Boone said of Wells, who caught 27 of Fried’s 32 starts, with Rice catching him for the first time — effectively — on Wednesday. “[Wells] is actually swinging the bat really good here down the stretch, as well.”
Rice is also just 1-for-8 against Crochet, while Wells is 2-for-9, both hits for extra bases.
And that’s far from the only decision the Yankees have to make for the opener.
Does Ryan McMahon and his fantastic performance at third base — with Fried on the mound — outweigh that he’s struggled offensively and is lefty — while right-handed Amed Rosario is 6-for-9 with a pair of extra-base hits against Crochet?
Boone said Monday that Jazz Chisholm Jr. “should be good” for Tuesday after being drilled by a pitch in his left forearm on Saturday.
Still, Crochet has held the lefty Chisholm hitless in four at-bats and struck him out three times, so perhaps Rosario fits in there, where he’s been average defensively, as well as at third.
One possible replacement in the infield, José Caballero, is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts versus Crochet.
That means Anthony Volpe, who slumped for so much of the season on both offense and defense, will be at shortstop, having reclaimed the starting role after he received a cortisone shot in his ailing left shoulder.
Also of note, Fried got ground balls at the eighth-highest rate of any starting pitcher this season, meaning infield defense will be at a premium on Tuesday.
“Obviously, Max being on the mound factors in,” Boone said. “So we’re still weighing it.”
Of Caballero and Rosario, both key trade deadline additions, Boone said they, “could be in play [Tuesday.] … They’ve been really good role players here since we got them and we expect them to continue to play an important role.”
The manager noted Boston has “lefties in the pen, too,” which could provide opportunities off the bench.
But these are the decisions teams have to make in a short series in which one game could alter the outcome of a season.