Yankees Need First Baseman to Improve vs. Lefties

The New York Yankees can't go another year with their first baseman struggling vs. lefties.

Sep 28, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) hits a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

If the New York Yankees want to keep Ben Rice as their everyday first baseman, they can't have him struggling this much at the plate against left handed pitchers.

Rice has done enough, for now, to secure his spot on this team. If he doesn't take the offseason to address a glaring issue, there could be plenty of problems that arise during the 2026 season.

Take nothing away from what Rice brings to this team, but New York Posts' Greg Joyce knows this will likely be a talking point throughout the season. If manager Aaron Boone continues to put Rice in positions he can't succeed in, where does the team go from there?

Ben Rice Must Improve Lefty/Righty Splits

Oct 5, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) doubles in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game two of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

No one is asking Rice to hit the same percentage against righties as he is lefties, but the 26-year-old can't keep getting away with his sluggish performances. In order to carve out a spot on this team for the long haul, Rice's production in 2026 can't echo what it did in 2024 or 2025.

"Boone has already said he expects Ben Rice to play “a lot” against lefty starters next season after the Yankees mostly protected him against left-on-left situations last year," Joyce said. "But now without Paul Goldschmidt as a security blanket, Rice is poised to get everyday starts at first base (assuming he is not needed at catcher), which means holding his own against lefties to further solidify himself as the big middle-of-the-order beast the Yankees see him as."

2024 vs. Lefties

While it's a much smaller sample size, it's still important to include Rice's numbers in his rookie season compared to last year. Back in 2024, Rice had 45 plate appearances against lefties compared to 133 against right-handed pitchers.

Rice hit .135 compared to his less-than-stellar .183 against righties. That year, Rice hit one home run off a left-handed pitcher, drove in 3 RBIs, walked seven times, and struck out 11 times.

2025 vs. Lefties

Sep 28, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (22) celebrates at home plate with outfielder Aaron Judge (99) after hitting a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

One year later, things took a drastic turn. With 74 more plate appearances against lefties, Rice turned that into just a .208 batting average. Seeing as he hit .269 in 411 plate appearances against righties, that is quite a bit difference.

Rice struck out 33 times against left-handed pitchers which put his K% at 27.7% compared to 16.3%. Nearly a 10% difference is massive, specifically when you consider the sample size. Rice drew 30 more walks against righties which further proves the point he isn't seeing the ball well at all against left-handed pitchers.

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