Consider Wednesday night a prime example of why the Yankees keep giving Ben Rice defensive tests. Hes too valuable to be on the bench. In the second game of this series against the White Sox, Rice was behind the plate, catching Max Fried for the first time and lashing a triple to continue his strong September Acce s the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Aaron Boone didnt want to call it a tryout, or even a potential preview of whats to come in the postseason. But he had been meaning to pair Rice with Fried for weeks, and this offered a good opportunity to do so. The White Sox were throwing a bullpen game, and he wanted to balance out the lineup as much as po sible, with Paul Goldschmidt at first base. Still, it could wind up being helpful that the two worked as a battery for one night. If we do Rodolfo Castro Jersey make a deep run in the postseason, who knows what comes up, Boone said. Getting them together at once, I think there is some benefit to that. Explore More The two looked mostly in sync. Fried allowed just one earned run over seven innings in adding his 19th win of the season. It was great, great to finally work together, Fried said. Hes been working really hard. Especially the transition of playing a lot of first base and then catching sporadically and then getting more starts. Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) throws to first base on a ground ball single by Chicago White Sox right fielder Brooks Baldwin (not pictured) in front of Yankees catcher Ben Rice (22) during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Rice, a potent left-handed hitter with an .829 OPS and 24 homers in 457 at-bats, was excited for the opportunity to catch the Yankees ace. He started behind the plate for the first time in the major leagues back on June 18, and this marked his 25th game as the Yankees starting catcher. Yankees catcher Ben Rice (22) reacts after hitting a triple against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Rices focus over the seasons first few months was as a designated hitter and first baseman, but he also made sure to include catching among his responsibilities. He sat in on scouting meetings and caught bullpen se sions. He has grown more comfortable over time at that spot. Im glad were getting one in, just in case it does happen [in the playoffs], Rice said. The biggest thing is just figuring out a way to get on the same page. Im sure theres going to be a good amount of shakes throughout the start, and thats just a learning curve that you go through with any pitcher you dont have a lot of experience with. Im just hoping we can find a way to get on the same page as quickly as po sible, and then thatll serve us well going forward if we line up again. Tyler Phillips Jersey