Ben Rice hoping huge strides with body will help toward Yankees roster spot

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees from spring training TAMPA — Over the course of a long season in the minor leagues, Ben Rice has typically lost weight. Last season, while getting his first taste of the big leagues during a summer call-up that began on fire and then cooled off, Rice was actually able to maintain it. “Food’s pretty good [in the big leagues],” Rice said with a chuckle. Then he spent the offseason purposely gaining more. Rice showed up to camp this month after putting on about 10 pounds since he was called up last June, most of which appears to be muscle in his upper body as he tried to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame over the winter.The early returns, he said, have been encouraging. “I think the ball’s coming off the bat harder, for sure,” Rice said Monday morning at Steinbrenner Field before he was supposed to catch against the Red Sox in a game that got rained out at JetBlue Park.

“Putting more mass on the ball, so it’s going to come off harder.” The Yankees are hoping that is one of the things that will allow Rice to have some more staying power in the big leagues the next time he gets back, which could be as early as starting the season with them.Rice is competing for the backup catcher job while also keeping his versatility at first base because the Yankees believe in his bat so much that the more roles he can fill, the better. And if Giancarlo Stanton’s elbow issues sideline him to start the season, which seems increasingly likely as he has yet to resume baseball activities, then Rice’s chances of making the roster could increase with more at-bats to go around at the DH spot. “I’m excited about Ben,” manager Aaron Boone said Monday in Fort Myers.

“I think he’s going to be a really good hitter in the league.He’s made huge strides in his body this winter.

He’s added really good weight and stren...