Trending Now - Ben Rice Emerges as Dominant Lefty Power for Yankees

WHO:

MLB.com - Ben Rice, a 27-year-old left-handed power hitter for the New York Yankees, originally from Cohasset, Massachusetts.

MLB.com - Aaron Boone, manager of the New York Yankees.

MLB.com - David Cone, former Yankees pitcher and current broadcaster for the YES Network.

MLB.com - Giancarlo Stanton, a player for the New York Yankees.

MLB.com - Cody Bellinger, a player for the New York Yankees.

WHAT:

NY Post - Ben Rice has walked in nine of his 36 plate appearances this season.

MLB.com - Rice hit 26 home runs in 138 games during the 2025 season and has already hit three home runs in the 2026 season.

MLB.com - Rice is leading the Yankees with 11 RBIs and has a batting average of .370.

MLB.com - David Cone described Rice as “a monster in the batter’s box” and predicted he could hit “forty-plus homers” and be an All-Star.

MLB.com - Aaron Boone stated that Rice is “a fearsome left-handed, middle-of-the-order hitter.”

WHERE:

MLB.com - Yankee Stadium, New York, where Rice plays his home games.

MLB.com - Cohasset, Massachusetts, where Rice grew up.

WHEN:

MLB.com - The 2026 MLB season is currently ongoing as of April 8th, 2026.

MLB.com - Rice hit his first postseason home run in October 2025 during a Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox.

WHY:

MLB.com - The Yankees believe Rice was unlucky last season, as his hard-hit percentage was 56.1 and average exit velocity was 93.3, which did not correlate with his statistics.

HOW:

MLB.com - Rice has made adjustments to how pitchers have approached him, closing the gap on pitches moving into him.

(UPDATED April 8, 2026 03:55 UTC)

Ben Rice, a 27-year-old left-handed power hitter for the New York Yankees, is making waves this season with a batting average of .370 and leading the team with 11 RBIs, having already hit three home runs. Manager Aaron Boone describes Rice as “a fearsome left-handed, middle-of-the-order hitter,” while former pitcher David Cone has called him “a monster in the batter’s box,” predicting he could hit over forty home runs this year. After a promising 2025 season where he hit 26 home runs, Rice has made adjustments to his approach at the plate, aiming to capitalize on his hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity that suggest he was due for a breakout.