Yankees Young Duo Proves That Performance Equals Playing Time
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times for two young batterymates in 2024. The Yankees were forced to bring up two minor leaguers due to injuries. Ben Rice came first and made a great first impression, culminating in a three-home run game against his hometown Boston Red Sox. Will Warren made his debut after two seasons of reports that Will and Chase Hampton were the arms of the future. These were the best chapters.
However, Rice slowed to a trickle while Warren took beating after beating, never showing any of the talent that was spoken of him, a level below. It then ended on August 31st when Anthony Rizzo returned. Rice and Warren were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It appeared that this would be the last time we would see this duo in pinstripes. This was the introduction to adversity in the middle chapter.
Time moves forward, and in 2025, Spring Training became the vehicle for their return. Will Warren made the starting five due to injuries to top-line starter Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, as well as Marcus Stroman later on. It's not the same Warren. He is eating up innings, striking out quite a few, and more importantly, he is keeping games under control. He contributed to the surprise start by bringing stability to the Yankees, allowing them to take over first place in the AL East.
Ben Rice's swing rippled the sea of Spring Training as well and translated to the regular season. He started off at a blistering pace, hitting the ball harder and better. He was one of the three hottest hitters who carried the offense at the beginning of the season. He has slowed a bit, but he is still driving the ball hard whenever opportunity knocks. Ben Rice has reached the point where the Yankees have had to be creative to keep him in the lineup more regularly. He has played first and designated hitter. He has also started catching more games, leaving Austin Wells looking on the outside. This represents the chapters where the young heroes rise to the challenge and triumph.
They have both come a long way in a short time. Warren mentioned in the post-game interview after his recent win over the Athletics that Rice and he have been battery mates for a long time. “We have been doing it for a while, a lot longer than people know,” Warren pointed out, “You saw it back there, he has always been solid.” Rice and Warren were both drafted by the New York Yankees in 2021. They both played for High-A Hudson Valley and shared time at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before joining the big squad in 2024.
With the season up to the halfway mark, Warren and Rice are now established talents. Warren has made the number four spot his own with his control and changed earlier plans they had for him as a placeholder. Rice has played as regularly as a young star can without a definitive position. His power displays have demanded that he start every day. These two have created the template for other minor leaguers in the system to follow. If you are a young prospect and the Yankees are not convinced of such, there is only one way in. On a team that gives the most time to those players who are highly paid, it comes to performance to force a path. Rice and Warren have shown the way to playing time.
