Ben

Rice

Ben Rice is catching over Wells for the third time four games. Since homering in three straight games early last month, Wells has hit .156/.200/.234 in his last 19 contests. He’s gone nine straight games without an RBI.

Stanton returns to New York’s lineup after remaining stapled to the bench for three consecutive contests with Aaron Judge limited to DH in his return from an elbow injury. The 35-year-old’s stratospheric over-the-fence pop remains firmly intact, but it’s uncertain how he’ll hold up from a physical standpoint over the final seven-plus weeks now that he’s back in the outfield. The other wrinkle in Saturday’s lineup is Ben Rice drawing another start at catcher with Paul Goldschmidt at first base.

Rice was the only Yankee with two hits in this one and the only member of their lineup to reach base twice against Astros’ starter Hunter Brown. He drove in a run during their sixth inning rally and set the stage for Aaron Judge to tie the game and knock Brown out of it. As things have gotten crowded in New York with Judge healthy and Giancarlo Stanton mashing, Rice has still started against six of the last seven right-handed pitchers they’ve faced while alternating between playing catcher and first base.

It will be Ben Rice starting at first base and hitting second. After a strong start to July, Goldschmidt is hitting .224 in 16 games since the All-Star break with 18 strikeouts and just a .616 OPS. It makes sense for Rice to be getting more playing time than him at first base, and Goldschmidt does not need to be rostered in shallow fantasy leagues.

Rice started behind the plate — his 14th appearance overall this season — and connected for a three-run homer against Rays starter Ryan Pepiot in the second inning. The 26-year-old power-hitter is up to 16 big flies this season and has a decent shot at getting close to the lofty 30-homer threshold, if he’s playing nearly everyday down the home stretch.

Escarra was demoted to clear a spot on New York’s active roster for newly acquired outfielder Austin Slater. The 30-year-old rookie has been phenomenal defensively this season, but his roster spot is expendable with Ben Rice capable of handling the backup catching duties behind starter Austin Wells.

With Stanton getting the night off, Yankees manager Aaron Boone will give Ben Rice a look against Rays righty Joe Boyle. Stanton has recently begun outfield work as the team prepares for the possibility that Aaron Judge (elbow) may need to DH exclusively once activated from the injured list.

Rice takes a seat for Monday’s series opener with veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt getting a chance to face Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen. It’s Cody Bellinger in right field, with Giancarlo Stanton still at DH, for the second straight contest since Aaron Judge hit the injured list with a flexor strain.

Rice’s first homer in four weeks proved huge, especially given how well Jeff Hoffman had handled the Yankees this season before getting beaten tonight. It’s his 15th homer of the year. He needs to get back to playing more than half of the time to be a real factor in fantasy leagues, but the potential hasn’t gone anywhere.

It’s a rare break for Bellinger, who is hitting .315 (40-for-127) with eight homers and two steals over his last 30 games, especially since it comes against a right-handed starter in Kevin Gausman. It’ll be his first off day since June 25. It’ll be Trent Grisham patrolling center field with Jasson Domínguez in left field on Monday night at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The other notable lineup development for New York here is Paul Goldschmidt getting the nod over Ben Rice at first base in this one.