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. Ben Rice continues to hit and and added a long homer in Mondays 10-5 win over Washington in The Bronx. And Austin Wells . Still, Aaron Boone said Monday that Wells would continue to get the bulk of playing time at catcher. I still envision [Wells] getting more of the reps, but well see, Boone said Monday. If thats the case, the Yankees are running out of time to figure out how to get Wells going again offensively. Ben Rice watches from his spot at catcher during the Yankees Aug. 6 game. AP Explore More But in the meantime, they are fortunate to have Rices versatility. His third-inning, 435-foot shot into the right field bleachers off right-hander Brad Lord was the longest of his career. The blast also marked the third straight game Rice homered when he started at catcher. Austin Wells reacts during the Yankees Aug. 23 game against the Red Sox. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post Forget the physical part of it, Boone said of catching. A lot goes into the preparation and the game plan and pitching. Its good to see him swing the bat. Hes such a presence for us in the lineup. Thats in contrast to Wells, whos just 11-for-78 with four extra-base hits and 23 strikeouts since July 12. He started the past three games of the Red Sox series, but outside of a terrific game against Tampa Bay last Wednesday, Wells has been almost invisible with the bat in recent weeks. Austin Wells reacts after striking out during the Yankees Aug. 23 game against the Red Sox. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post Ben Rice catches for the Adam Mokoka Jersey Yankees during their April 27 game. Jason Szenes for the NY Post This, after Wells had a .795 OPS heading into September a year ago, with the Yankees looking set at catcher potentially for the foreseeable future. And then Wells crumbled at the plate over the final month of the season, with a .411 OPS in September and .460 in the playoffs. This year, the downturn started earlier, with his numbers plunging this month after a mostly inconsistent season. CHECK OUT THE AND And with the emergence of Rice, its fair to wonder how the Yankees would divide time behind the two. Rice has started 11 games at catcher since July 31 after J.C. Escarra was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has hardly mi sed a beat entering Monday with a .956 OPS since his catching duties increased. David Bednar (l.) and Ben Rice (r.) react after the Yankees Aug. 11 win. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post He also threw out Josh Bell attempting to swipe second with CJ Abrams at third to end the top of the fourth. Hes done a capable enough job behind the plate that we feel good about having him in the rotation there, Boone said of Rice. There [are] still things hes going through, there are still growing pains to be had back there, but, overall, hes done a really good job and obviously his bat has been really consistent all year. Boone called the catching situation kind of fluid and noted that the current roster situation due to some injuries complicates things. 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! Everyone factors in that, Boone said of how that part of the lineup is put together. With Aaron Judge still limited to DH duties because of a right elbow flexor strain, Giancarlo Stanton has been forced into right field. And the Yankees still value Rices ability to play first base, where he can fill in for Paul Goldschmidt against right-handers. As for Wells, hes developed into a better defensive catcher than many had envisioned, as there were doubts from scouts whether the lefty-swinger would even stick behind the plate, and some scouts now wonder if his dedication to working with pitchers has been a detriment to his hitting. But that seems unlikely to change, since the demands of being a catcher will take precedence over work at the plate. Wendell Carter Jr. Jersey