Ben Rice had an incredible year in 2025, and he’s gearing up to have another high-impact year for the Yankees’ offense in 2026.
The Yankees signing Paul Goldschmidt back might signal that they don’t have the rose-tinted view of his offensive profile against lefties, but manager Aaron Boone pushed back against that notion.
“I don’t anticipate it affecting Rice because we think Rice is a star and we think he’s going to mash in the middle of the lineup for a long time.”
Goldschmidt will serve more of a bench role for the 2026 Yankees, but Rice could end up being far more productive than people think in these left-on-left matchups and give the Bronx Bombers a deadly counter to unsuspecting southpaws.
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Ben Rice Expected To Play Full-Time Role For the Yankees in 2026
The Yankees are handing the keys to Ben Rice at first base this season, and while he could see time at catcher or DH depending on the situation, he’ll be getting plenty of playing time this season.
He’ll also face plenty of lefties, where the power-hitting bat could find himself behind the dish to fit Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Giancarlo Stanton at DH.
Goldschmidt finished as the fourth-best qualifed hitter against left-handed pitching last season, and while Stanton didn’t qualify, he put up a similarly remarkable OPS in those matchups.
Rice does not pose the same level of threat to lefties as those two do, but he is one of the most fearsome lefties in the game in same-handed matchups.
Among 61 left-handed hitters who recorded at least 100 PAs against LHP, Ben Rice was 15th in OPS (.752) against, made even more impressive by the qualifier used.
To even get 100 PAs against a LHP as a left-handed hitter is an indication that a team believes in the player to come through in those spots, the absolutely rancid left-on-left hitters don’t get enough chances to be on this leaderboard.
Corey Seager (103 wRC+) had a similar offensive season against left-handed pitching as Ben Rice did (104 wRC+) when you adjust for the park environment, a sign of where he’s progressed in just 1.5 big-league seasons.
Aaron Boone didn’t throw the ‘star’ label on Rice for no reason; his stock has skyrocketed across league circles due to his impressive batted ball quality, and the Yankees are aiming to put it on full display in 2026.
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