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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Aaron Judge #99 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrate after Ben Rice hit a three run home run in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 01, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
New York Yankees’ first baseman Ben Rice has been absolutely demolishing baseballs.
This season, Rice has a .979 OPS and a 173 OPS+. Little to no MLB bats can even compare to the production that he’s been accumulating. If you want a comparison, truly the only one is Astros’ Yordan Alvarez.
MLB fans haven’t shied away from admiring Rice’s incredible season.
Here’s what people are saying about Rice:
StatMuse: “Ben Rice is leading the Yankees in games with 3+ hits this season.”
Prehension Athletics: “Ben Rice is 10 for his last 66 (.152) and has lost 67 points on his batting average since May 3..Ben has gone from using motor tract 1 muscles on his right side to motor tract 4 instead…..Slumps happen to everyone regardless of motor tracts but it’s a lot easier to swallow a bad stretch if you’ve ran into some tough pitching for a few games as opposed to self induced mechanical issues that prevent you from competing with your best….MT4 on left vs MT1 on right.”
James Schiano: “Breakout Stars: Ben Rice: 16 HR, 1.000 OPS, near perfect plate discipline, elite duo with Aaron Judge. Jordan Walker: ~50 HR pace with near .300 BA, Elite bat speed, FINALLY lifting the ball. Brice Turang: 7 WAR pace, hitting ball harder than ever, still great speed & glove.”
Just Baseball Media: “Hitters with an OPS over .950: Ben Rice, Yordan Alvarez, Jordan Walker. Nearly 2 months into the season, Walker has continued his incredible breakout!”
Yanks Go Yard: “Yankees | Offensive Leaders: OPS: Ben Rice (1.017), HR: Aaron Judge (16), RBI: Ben Rice (33), Hits: Cody Bellinger (50), SB: José Caballero (13).”
Sarah Langs: “Yankees duos with 16+ home runs each before team’s 50th game: 2026 Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, 1956 Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle.”
Adam Grassani: “For years I’ve complained about the Yankees lacking a true left handed hitting stud like they had with Robinson Cano. After Juan Soto left, they developed Ben Rice and acquired Cody Bellinger. Them hitting between Aaron Judge is a nightmare for opposing pitchers. #RepBX.”
Talkin’ Yanks: “Ben Rice lines out Caglianone and was called out. Yankees challenged the catch and it was overturned making it 2-0 Yanks.”
Since his ascension, the New York Yankees have become a different animal.
Aaron Judge has continued a run that rivals anyone in history. On top of The Captain’s constant production, former MVP Cody Bellinger has taken shape in the Bronx, too. Without Rice, however, the Yankees’ lineup could get short very quickly.
The thing about Rice’s emergence that’s so stunning is that everyone knew it was coming.
The 27-year-old was a statcast darling last season. Underlying numbers favored him to be one of MLB’s best hitters. In an .836 OPS season, Rice was one of MLB’s unluckiest hitters. Fans mockingly said if the numbers evened out, he’d be ‘the best hitter in baseball.’ At the time, it seemed like an outlandish claim. Now, it’s a reality.
The Yankees are seemingly always in talks for a big trade or an even bigger free agent. The next time they open the checkbook, it might be for a Rice extension.
AJ Stone AJ Stone is a baseball writer for Heavy, covering MLB news and various trends. His work has also appeared on Redbird Rants, Inside Halos, District on Deck, and other digital outlets. With a focus on analytics, he aims to blend data with storytelling for an engaging experience for his readers. More about AJ Stone
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