Yankees fans should believe Ben Rice’s breakout is for real this season initially appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
While the Major League Baseball season is solely simply underway, some clear storylines are forming for the yr.
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For the New York Yankees, the largest storyline is the breakout of Ben Rice. He was already nice final season, however he is taking his play to a brand new stage in 2026.
Amid such a breakout, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch is calling for Yankees fans to believe this breakout is for real, and that Rice is a future All-Star, and a lefty-hitting counterpart to Aaron Judge on the appropriate aspect of the plate.
Yankees fans should believe in Ben Rice’s breakout
“Yankees: Ben Rice is a future All-Star,” Hoch writes. “The next step in Rice’s development will come with increased opportunities against left-handed pitching.”
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Rice had a .255 batting common and an .836 OPS throughout 138 video games final season. It was an amazing yr, however there was room for enchancment.
And he is proven precisely that to date in 2026. While it is solely been 20 video games, with restricted enjoying time in opposition to lefty pitching, Rice has dominated this season.
He is presently hitting .339 with a ridiculous 1.242 OPS to start the season. While not a super-long sample-size, Rice’s manufacturing has been intensive sufficient to believe in.
More: Shohei Ohtani deemed more valuable than Aaron Judge in recent ESPN discussion piece
He already has seven homers and 17 RBIs with six doubles this season, and could possibly be headed in the direction of an elite season for the Yankees.
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But, there is one situation: his probabilities in opposition to left-handed pitching. Aaron Boone has held Rice again from getting reps in opposition to lefties, and whereas these chances are high certain to come back sooner or later, Yankees fans are operating out of endurance.
Rice, the 27-year-old slugger, seems to be to be a future All-Star even when he isn’t enjoying each recreation as a starter. He’s probably the greatest hitters in baseball this season, and his breakout is one Yankees fans should believe in. Rice is truly this good.
