{"id":105767,"date":"2025-09-30T07:07:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=105767"},"modified":"2025-09-30T07:10:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:10:55","slug":"yankees-plan-for-garrett-crochet-could-sideline-ben-rice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=105767","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udd25YANKS LINEUP SHOCK: Yankees\u2019 plan for Garrett Crochet could sideline Ben Rice, fans erupted as social feeds buzzed with speculation and debate, analysts scrambled to predict how this move would reshape the pitching rotation while teammates reacted to the sudden shake-up, now the burning question is\u2026 who will rise and who will fall in the rotation?.. ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Ben Rice just torched the Orioles with two home runs to close the regular season.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/new-york-yankees\/ben-rice-continues-to-cook-and-what-it-means-for-the-yankees\">He just completed a season<\/a>\u00a0that has everyone believing he is the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/new-york-yankees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Yankees<\/a>\u2019\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/10-greatest-first-basemen-major-league-baseball-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first baseman<\/a>\u00a0of the future.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/w_3840,q_auto:good,c_limit\/MjY6MDAwMDAwMDAwNzUzMDU0\/mlb-baltimore-orioles-at-new-york-yankees-753054.jpg\" alt=\"New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) celebrates at home plate with outfielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.\" \/><\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">But not the near future.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">When the Yankees open the Wild Card on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium against Boston\u2019s ace lefty Garrett Crochet, Rice is all but certain to be on the bench.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">The Yankees manager will sit one of his hottest bats at first pitch. In a short series, this is survival over sentiment. The matchup demands it, and the plan likely shifts Rice to first bat off the bench once Crochet exits.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/yankees\/video\/ben-rice-s-two-homer-game-against-the-orioles?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-ml-dynamic=\"true\" data-ml-dynamic-type=\"sl\" data-orig-url=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/yankees\/video\/ben-rice-s-two-homer-game-against-the-orioles?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" data-ml-id=\"0\" data-ml=\"true\" data-xid=\"fr1759215811634hgd\" data-skimlinks-tracking=\"xid:fr1759215811634hgd\">\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\"><strong>Yankees Lineup vs. Garrett Crochet, Game 1 Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">The Red Sox are handing the ball to Crochet for the opener in the Bronx, a lefty who\u2019s been a problem for New York all year. Boston took the season series and, when Crochet was on the mound, he piled strikeouts and contained the Yankees\u2019 damage. That\u2019s a blueprint for success against a lineup built on power like the Yankees.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">So, Boone, who said Austin Wells\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/mlb\/new-york-yankees\/ben-rice-is-forcing-the-yankees-to-make-a-big-decision-about-catcher\">would start behind<\/a>\u00a0the plate and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/tag\/paul-goldschmidt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Goldschmidt<\/a>\u00a0at first base, has to trust the matchups.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">He also has history to go on.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\"><strong>Ben Rice vs. Garrett Crochet Head-to-Head Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Rice is 1-for-8 lifetime off Crochet with a lone double and no walks. He has a .125\/.125\/.250 line with plenty of swing-and-miss, not much lift, and minimal leverage against the Red Sox lefty.\u00a0 Coming in hot doesn\u2019t change how the matchup plays, but it does change how and when\u00a0 Boone uses him. The practical move is to hold Rice for the first right-handed reliever and hunt a mistake when Boston\u2019s bullpen takes over.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\"><strong>Austin Wells vs. Garrett Crochet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Austin Wells is also a left-handed bat, but his track record against Crochet is meaningfully better: 2-for-9 with a double and a home run, plus four strikeouts. It isn\u2019t pretty, but it\u2019s proof he\u2019s squared Crochet before, and that matters in a knife-edge opener. Besides, Wells has caught most of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/tag\/max-fried\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Max Fried<\/a>\u2019s starts this season, and Boone wants to buckle down the defense.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">Given the way managers script October, Wells starting at catcher while Rice waits to ambush a right-hander is the smart plan.<\/p>\n<p data-wp-block=\"{&quot;dropCap&quot;:false}\" data-wp-block-name=\"core\/paragraph\">October isn\u2019t a time for vibes. Crochet has throttled the Yankees enough to force conservative decisions on contact profiles and handedness. New York can still get Rice into this game, and probably will, but the first at-bats likely belong to hitters who\u2019ve either seen Crochet better or can at least force deeper counts to chase him earlier. When a bullpen game breaks out, Rice\u2019s bat plays loud in a hurry. That\u2019s how you manage a best-of-three.<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/29\/sports\/yankees-daunting-garrett-crochet-task-as-they-renew-red-sox-rivalry\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<section class=\"styles_cardWrapper__L_XoW wp-block-the-arena-group-article-card-5050\">\n<div class=\"styles_card__RdXPU is-style-default card card--50-50-media-top-media-left styles_fiftyFifty__aw5AE styles_mediaLeft__xZnSX styles_mediaTop__OcHqu\" data-testid=\"article-card\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ben Rice just torched the Orioles with two home runs to close the regular season.\u00a0He just completed a season\u00a0that has everyone believing he is the\u00a0New York Yankees\u2019\u00a0first&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":105774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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