Yankees' Ben Rice is digging a firm toehold in the starting lineup

Don’t expect Ben Rice to be grabbing a seat on the Yankees' bench anytime soon.

Not a consistent one, anyway.

When the Yankees promoted him three weeks ago, their intent was for the lefthanded-hitting Rice to start primarily against righthanded pitchers, but he has played his way — ''hit his way'' is the more accurate description — into everyday-first-baseman consideration regardless of who is on the mound.

Hitting three home runs in a single game — as Rice did Saturday afternoon, becoming the first rookie in franchise history to accomplish that feat — will do that.

But it hasn’t just been about that historical achievement. In his short time in the big leagues, Rice has shown himself to be unflappable no matter what the Yankees have thrown his way.

Rice, back in the lineup Sunday night against Red Sox righthander Kutter Crawford, is still learning not only a new position — first base — but a new batting order spot. Last week, he was inserted into the leadoff spot when Aaron Boone dropped struggling second-year shortstop Anthony Volpe to sixth in the lineup (Volpe batted fifth Sunday night).

“You see the calm at-bats he takes. He understands the strike zone. He doesn’t flinch at much,” Boone said of Rice, who spent the first three weeks of spring training with the big-league club before being sent to minor league camp. “[You] kind of see the pull side power he has too. I just think he combines controlling the strike zone with some barrel awareness . . . He’s coming off an outstanding year in the minor leagues that kind of put him on the map and burst him on the scene. Earned a trip to spring training and has just kind of continued that.”

Entering Sunday night,  Rice was hitting .294 (15-for-51) with four homers and a .971 OPS in 17 games since his debut on June 18. In his previous seven games before Sunday night, he was 9-for-25 with four homers, three doubles and 11 RBIs. In three games batting leadoff, he was  5-for-14 with those four homers and eight RBIs.

He had a .361/.442/.778 slash line against righthanders (13-for-36) and a .133/.235/.133  slash line against lefthanders (2-for-15). Overall, he had drawn eight walks against nine strikeouts.

“Just trusting my approach, just trusting it,” Rice said of the success he’s experienced in the majors. “I have a lot of confidence in my approach, and up here’s no different. Game hasn’t changed, bases are still in all the same spots. So that’s just kind of allowed me to hit the ground running here.”

Rice has said his experience in spring training with the Yankees was invaluable. It allowed him to not only get used to sharing a clubhouse with stars such as Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Juan Soto but also using that as an opportunity to watch established major-leaguers go through their daily routines.

Rice, a 12th-round pick of the Yankees in 2021 out of Dartmouth, was a sponge during those three weeks in spring training. With his locker located near the catchers but also a stone’s throw away from those occupied by Judge and Anthony Rizzo, Rice, drafted as a catcher, could be seen more often than not picking the brains of veterans, whether it be about hitting or defense.

“I think he’s a really confident player,” Boone said. “Obviously a smart kid.”

Boone paused before referencing Rice’s handling of not only learning first base on the fly in the majors but also the sudden change of being thrown into the leadoff spot — and batting ahead of Soto and Judge, no less.

“Probably his 10th game [15th], I throw him in the leadoff hole and he doesn’t really flinch at it,” Boone said. “That slow heartbeat’s kind of been there [at the plate], and I think he’s handled himself really well at first base. That’s still a work in progress. He’s still a little bit raw over there and still very much learning the position. He’s got some experience in the minor leagues playing there, but in the however many, dozen games or so, he’s played there at first [for us], he’s very much held his own over there. Hopefully he can continue to get more and more comfortable at that position.”