Anthony Seigler's Red Sox rise warns Yankees on Ben Rice
Anthony Seigler's midseason breakout with the Boston Red Sox shows why converting a catcher prospect to second base can revive a career. The former Yankees first-rounder is starting at second and leading off amid Boston's surge, a cautionary tale New York should apply before overusing Ben Rice behind the plate.
Key Takeaways
- Anthony Seigler became Boston's everyday second baseman and regular leadoff hitter after a June call-up amid middle-infield injuries.
- The Red Sox are 19-6 in games he has started and have ridden a long winning streak with him in the lineup.
- New York drafted him 23rd overall in 2018; he spent seven years in the Yankees system before Milwaukee and a trade to Boston.
- His catcher-to-second conversion is being framed as a Ben Rice roster lesson for the Yankees.
What has Anthony Seigler's Red Sox breakout looked like?
When Anthony Seigler was called up from Triple-A Worcester on June 20, Boston was 30-43 and short on healthy middle infielders after Isiah Kiner-Falefa's forearm injury. Marcelo Mayer was also on the injured list. Little was expected of the 27-year-old fill-in.
A month later, he was the everyday second baseman and regular leadoff man. Per The Boston Globe, he has hit safely in 14 of 21 games since June 23, with eight extra-base hits, eight walks, and seven RBIs. The Sox are 19-6 in games he starts and 13-3 when he bats leadoff.
Union Leader reported that since the June 20 call-up the Red Sox went an MLB-best 20-5, while Seigler hit .253 with two homers and a .720 OPS, including a .351 mark in his first 11 games. Interim manager Chad Tracy has stuck with him for at-bat quality and strike-zone discipline even after a colder July.
Why does Seigler's path matter for the Yankees?
Seigler was a Georgia high school tools package: switch-hitting catcher, speed, and even switch-pitching. The Yankees took him 23rd in 2018. Eight years later, his first sustained big-league role arrived in Boston, not the Bronx.
Yanks Go Yard notes he was largely unproductive as a Yankees prospect through 2023, limited by catcher wear and a .166 average that year. In 2024 he spent 118 Double-A games at second base with a .748 OPS. After New York released him following 2024, he signed with Milwaukee within 15 days, posted an .892 OPS at Triple-A Nashville, debuted in the majors in June 2025, then reached Boston in a six-player trade with Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio.
That conversion story is the Yankees warning: Seigler's five wasted catcher years should caution anyone tempted to keep Ben Rice behind the plate. Rice may hold catcher eligibility, but the argument is he should stay primarily at first base and DH.
How has Seigler described the Red Sox streak?
Seigler told the Globe the Fenway run has been "the most fun I've had playing baseball in a long time," calling the season a "blessing" after proposing to his girlfriend Amber and expecting their first child. Teammate Carlos Narváez, who knew him in the Yankees system, said he "always played hard" then as now.
For more trending alerts beyond the diamond, see our Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub. Seigler's second chance is less about hype than a simple roster truth: put the right bat at the right position, and a forgotten prospect can help fuel a playoff push.