The rise of Ben Rice was a pleasant surprise for the New York Yankees. His transformation into a viable slugger was enough for the organization to let go of Dom Smith, who had a great spring, and to have him start over Paul Goldschmidt in the postseason.
Of course, Goldschmidt envisioned this as a possibility when he was signed as part of the Plan B to replace Juan Soto's production. Last winter, he mentioned he would serve as a mentor to the younger players. He said as much during his introductory presser last January, according to Gary Phillips of the Daily News.
"I'll do whatever I can to help guys," Goldschmidt said when asked about Rice the previous winter. "I had so many great players that helped me when I was a young player, so I'm forever grateful for those guys. They sped up the learning curve. So whether it's him or any other player."
One year later, Goldschmidt may get his encore with the Yankees, and it would likely be in the role that he spoke about last year when the team introduced him, as opposed to the full-time gig handed to him out of Spring Training. The New York Post's Jon Heyman is reporting that, in a potential return to New York, he is willing to take a more ancillary position with the team.
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www.si.com]
