Yankees slugger recounts how he surprised Elly De La Cruz with unexpected move

New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice was all fun recounting his memories on the baseball field, especially once when he talked with Elly De La Cruz in Spanish when he reached first base.

Rice moved through the minors and made the Yankees active roster to cover for Anthony Rizzo at first base. Since then, he cemented his spot at the position till the very end.

On Monday, during an interview with MLB.com, Rice revealed that he used to talk in Spanish to several of his opponents and catch them by surprise. One conversation he particularly recalls was with the Cincinnati Reds shortstop De La Cruz.

He surprised the Reds shortstop with his Spanish.

"Yeah, Elly De La Cruz," Rice said. "Talking to him was fun. He hit a line drive at me like the inning before, and I jumped up and caught it. So I robbed him of a hit.

"And then when he got to first base the next inning when he walked or something, we started talking. I started speaking Spanish with him. He was just very surprised. I am very unassuming, so, too, like, kind of Dominican Spanish with him was fun."

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Yankees' Ben Rice puts on weight coming into 2025 Spring Training

Yankees slugger Ben Rice seems to have worked on his body this offseason, as he reportedly put on 10 pounds of muscles over his 6-foot-2 frame. The increase in muscular power has resulted in him being able to crush off baseballs harder in the cage.

“I think the ball’s coming off the bat harder, for sure,” Rice said at Steinbrenner Field. “Putting more mass on the ball, so it’s going to come off harder.”

Even Aaron Boone seems to be impressed with Ben Rice's improved physiques as he predicts that he can be their impact batter in their lineup.

“I’m excited about Ben,” Boone said 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 strength and it shows up in his testing. I think he’s a guy (that can) be an impact hitter in the league. He continues to impress us with the work he’s doing behind the plate."

With Paul Goldschmidt signing with the Yankees on a one-year deal, it removes Ben Rice from being able to lock a position in the starting lineup. This spring, he's making a move to a backup catching role as well in hopes of landing a spot on active roster through that.