The New York Yankees made a few roster moves on the eve of the league-wide roster expansion, as first baseman Ben Rice and starting pitcher Will Warren were optioned to Triple-A Scranton following the conclusion of the Yankees’ 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Anthony Rizzo’s return prompted Rice and Warren’s demotions
The moves come with the expectation that first baseman Anthony Rizzo will be activated from the injured list after completing a rehab assignment for a forearm fracture. Optioning Warren opens up another roster spot, which could be taken by outfielder Jasson Dominguez, though that is not confirmed by Yankees manager Aaron Boone as of now.
Rizzo hasn’t had a season to remember, as before the injury he was hitting just .223 and only had eight home runs. Hopefully for the Yankees, he can return to being the productive hitter he has been for most of his career and give them much needed depth at first base, a position that has given them rough production this season.
Ben Rice started off strong but finished poorly with the Yankees
Rice came up immediately following Rizzo’s injury and started off nicely, including a three-homer game against the Boston Red Sox in early July. However, it was a struggle for him since that, and he was just 2-for-35 with 11 strikeouts in the month of August.
Getting a taste of the major leagues was still beneficial for Rice, as he can make the necessary adjustments to his swing during the offseason and potentially be the team’s solution at first base for the years to come.
Will Warren struggled mightily in his brief stint with the Yankees
In Warren’s case, he came up three separate times filling in for injured starting pitchers and made two starts in Luis Gil’s spot on the rotation after he went down with a back injury. Warren’s first stretch of major league pitching was not smooth, as he went 0-3 with a 9.55 ERA and pitched to a 1.85 WHIP across five starts.
In Saturday’s game against the Cardinals, Warren struggled four innings of work, allowing four earned runs and five hits while walking three batters and striking out three. The hope is that over the offseason, the team’s fifth-rated prospect can refine his pitching mechanics and throw a more effective sinker, as that pitch constantly gave him trouble at the big league level.
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The Yankees will look a bit different down the final stretch of the season. They enter September in first place in the American League East and will look to nail down a tight division race with the Baltimore Orioles before the postseason.