SAN FRANCISCO — The New York Yankees opened the 2026 season by sweeping the San Francisco Giants in a three-game set at Oracle Park. Aaron Judge launched homers in back-to-back games. But it was first baseman Ben Rice who quietly stole the show for the Yankees with his bat and his glove.
Rice delivered a clutch two-run double in Saturday’s series finale and flashed improved defense at a position he only picked up in the second half of 2024. For a Yankees lineup that already boasts Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton, Rice’s rapid growth has raised a tantalizing question.
Can the 27-year-old catcher-turned-first-baseman develop into a legitimate No. 2 power bat for the Yankees alongside the reigning AL MVP? Multiple predictions says yes.
Rice’s breakout 2025 set the stage
The Yankees have been searching for a dependable homegrown option at first base since Mark Teixeira’s career ended. Rice took a major step toward filling that void last season. In 138 games, the left-handed hitter batted .255 with 26 home runs, 65 RBIs and an .836 OPS while splitting time between first base, catcher and designated hitter.
His underlying numbers were even more impressive. According to Baseball Savant, Rice ranked in the 97th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 92nd percentile in barrel rate and the 95th percentile in average exit velocity. Twenty of his 26 homers went to his pull side, a profile tailor-made for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium.
The one glaring weakness: left-handed pitching. Rice batted just .208 with seven home runs in 119 plate appearances against southpaws. He spent much of Yankees spring training seeking extra at-bats against lefties to close that gap.
Analyst forecasts a 40-homer campaign
Ahead of Opening Day, WFAN’s Tommy Lugauer made a bold proclamation about Rice’s 2026 ceiling. Lugauer predicted the Yankees first baseman will smash 40 home runs and overtake Bellinger as the club’s second-best player behind Judge.
“I think Ben Rice, and this is a bold one, but I think Ben Rice is going to hit 40 home runs. He’s that talented,” Lugauer said in a March 24 video.
“It will be Ben Rice who settles in as the second-best player on the New York Yankees, and I think he gets the 40 home runs,” he added. “I think he’s that skilled, and I believe he will surpass Cody Bellinger as the second-best player on the New York Yankees, the Robin to Aaron Judge’s Batman, if you will.”
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter backed up the prediction in a separate analysis. Reuter noted that Rice’s elite batted-ball metrics suggest his 2025 production was more of a floor than a ceiling. A 40-homer, 100-RBI season from the Yankees cleanup spot, Reuter wrote, would take the offense to another level entirely.
Goldschmidt sees All-Star potential
Yankees veteran Paul Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, has been mentoring Rice at first base since re-signing on a one-year, $4 million deal in February. The seven-time All-Star has not been shy about voicing his belief in Rice’s talent.
“He’s a great player, a very smart player, and very hard-working,” Goldschmidt told SNY on Feb. 11. “I saw him just improve a lot last year. The more experience he gets, he’s just going to keep improving over there, keep working, make adjustments, and just has the potential to be a really great player.”
Goldschmidt acknowledged that Rice will receive the bulk of Yankees starts at first base and said he is comfortable in whatever role the team needs.
“[Rice] can be an All-Star and a great player,” Goldschmidt said, per the New York Post’s Greg Joyce.
Defense no longer a question mark
One of the biggest concerns entering the Yankees season was how Rice would handle first base full time. He spent the offseason working on scoops and picks, an area he identified as his top defensive priority. The early returns in were encouraging.
Rice made several sharp plays during the series, including a lunging catch on a wide throw from Jose Caballero that ended a bases-loaded threat in Saturday’s finale. He also charged a chopper between the mound and first base and flipped to the pitcher for an out. Before Saturday’s game, Rice worked with Yankees senior director of advance scouting Brett Weber on his picks, taking throws in the dirt from numerous spots on the field.
“It just speaks volumes to the work he put in the offseason,” Judge said of Rice’s defense.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Rice’s rapid development.
“You forget it’s as new as it is,” Boone said. “He’s a catcher. It really wasn’t until the back end of ’24 that he started playing first base. Got a lot of experience there last year, has worked really hard, and has been a guy throughout his minor-league career that if you give him a challenge, he’s been able to conquer it.”
“The more games I get under my belt, the more comfortable I’m going to feel,” Rice said.
What it means for the Yankees lineup
The Yankees finished with 94 wins last season before a disappointing ALDS exit against the Toronto Blue Jays. General manager Brian Cashman opted to run the roster back largely intact, betting on internal improvement rather than a blockbuster addition.
If Rice takes the leap that Lugauer, Reuter and Goldschmidt all envision, the gamble could pay off. A 40-homer bat slotted in the cleanup spot between Bellinger and Stanton would give the Yankees a middle of the order few pitching staffs in the American League would want to face.
Three games into the season, Rice has already shown the blend of power, plate discipline and improving defense that has the Yankees believing their homegrown first baseman is only getting started.
What do you think?
