Ben Rice’s Personal Goal is Obvious Decision for Yankees

Ben Rice has one personal goal in mind and the New York Yankees should heed his advice on this one.

Mar 21, 2025; Lakeland, Florida, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (93) runs to first during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

It's impossible to fill the hole that Juan Soto left in the New York Yankees lineup after he departed for Flushing. The rise of Ben Rice definitely helped heal those wounds somewhat, though.

Rice, who had to go toe-to-toe with veteran Dominic Smith last Spring and won the job handily, seems like he has the mindset of a guy who wants to fight for his spot. Recent comments suggest he still has that hunger to succeed and isn't complacent over one successful year.

Feb 26, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Dominic Smith (22) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

According to NJ.com's Randy Miller, Rice said he wants to play every day, and he doesn't care how he gets into the lineup. As long as he gets his everyday repetitions at the plate, that's all that matters.

"I would say in a perfect world I'm in the lineup every day," Rice told Miller. "I don't really care where it's at. Obviously, I've been able to play well enough to where first base has become an avenue for me. But catching has been the position I've played my whole life. If they want to throw me back there, I'm OK with it, and I'll do my best. I just want to be playing."

Manager Aaron Boone looks to be in lockstep with his young infielder as well.

"How frequently? I don't know that yet," Boone said of Rice's playing time. "We'll see. But he's catching regularly now (in workouts). He's getting in his pens and seeing live arms. We're pairing him up with guys we know are going to be here. So we're making sure that happens a little bit."

Rice's Projections

The Steamer projections from Fangraphs project that Ben Rice will have a similar season to the one he had in 2025. He is projected to hit .246/.332/.474 with a 125 wRC+ and 23 home runs.

Those numbers might be conservative, but a quick look at Rice's Baseball Savant page shows a player whose underlying metrics bear a resemblance to Soto's while he was in Pinstripes. The argument could be made that Rice's numbers last year could have been even better, and the rockets coming off of his bat probably found gloves to the point that his overall numbers took a hit.

Jul 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (left) greeted by first baseman Ben Rice (right) following his solo home run in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Rice was in the 95th percentile and above in xw0BA, expected batting average, expected slugging, average exit velocity, and hard hit rates. His 92nd percentile barrel rate was just a tick below those, but not by much.

If Rice takes a leap, crushing baseballs at an even more bounteous rate, those balls that ended up finding gloves could be sailing over the head of outfielders in 2026. At least, this is what the Yankees are hoping for in the second full year of Rice's career.

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